Hikari Yami
by HA Senidal
Summary: What if something sinister came to Toronto after the Degrassi school shooting? What if the only hope for the world was...Kendra Mason?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi: The Next Generation, but I do own the original characters presented in this story. 

Author's Notes: The following fanfic is set during S4 and will coincide with events from "Moonlight Desires" at the start. From there, consider everything a side story fantasy while the usual teen-age angst is going on.

Hikari/Yami

Chapter 1: Harbinger

by HA

As Kendra Mason looked up the steps of Degrassi Community School, she couldn't believe how plain-looking the building was. Her fellow students walked up the stairs while chatting with each other and dreading the terrors their teachers had in mind for them. It didn't seem like a place where something exciting would happen, yet something did. Sadly, it hadn't been a good thing.

It had been a while since Rick Murray shot Jimmy Brooks in the back and died while struggling with Sean Cameron. These three boys weren't celebrities, but their names became well-known around the campus: Rick, the bullying victim who had been rumored to beat his girlfriend and even beat her into unconsciousness; Jimmy, the star athlete now confined in a wheelchair, possibly for life; and Sean, the quintessential tough guy who heroically prevented more deaths and became the media darling, but never returned to Degrassi for reasons only known to him. Kendra knew Jimmy because he was friends with her brother. She knew Sean since he used to hang out with her brother and dated Emma Nelson, the school activist. She didn't know Rick, although she saw him occasionally in the hallway hanging out with Toby...

The Chinese girl sighed. Toby Isaacs, a.k.a. her ex-boyfriend. She wondered why they broke up over the summer. They had shared the same interests, especially anime and computers. That sparked their mutual attraction, which almost got destroyed by her overprotective brother. He was a sweet boy who doted on her and did his best to be with her. She paused and found her answer. Toby was nice, but too nice to the point he crowded her. One time, he had decorated her locker without her knowledge, but she let that pass. He had wanted her to come to a summer camp where he'd be a counselor. She didn't want to go. No big arguments happened, but they drifted apart, and the closest she got to seeing him was in the hallway from a good distance occasionally.

"Kendra!" a girl called out from behind her.

Kendra turned around to see Nadia Jamir rolling up to her in her wheelchair. "Hey," she greeted in a dull voice.

Her fellow grade nine looked into her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked as she positioned herself in front of the handicapped access ramp.

Kendra let out a deep sigh as they went up the stairs. "Do I look okay?" she said as she walked with her head down.

They made it to the top. "So...it's true?" Nadia whispered.

"Yeah," Kendra said glumly.

They entered the school with their peers. To their surprise, they didn't pass through metal detectors, and security guards weren't watching their every move. "How did your parents take it?" Nadia asked, keeping pace with her friend.

"Almost exploded," Kendra answered, keeping her eyes in front. "I mean, he always got in trouble, but this...this did it. This really set them off. I'm amazed they didn't kick him out."

"So it is true," a blond boy in a denim jacket and matching jeans said as he joined the two girls. "You okay, Kendra?" he asked with a kind smile, revealing two rows of elaborate metal tracks being utilized to straighten his teeth.

Kendra frowned at him. "Do I look okay, Oliver?"

Oliver Wagner took a few steps away from Kendra. "Er, forget I asked that," he said, his knees shaking as he adjusted his red baseball cap.

Kendra looked at her friends. "Sorry, guys, but I'm trying to take all this in. A boy gets shot, and the shooter dies. Then, I find out my brother was partly responsible for Rick Murray losing it and shooting at people."

Gavin Mason, better known as Spinner, had a reputation for being a tough guy. He delighted in tormenting the members of the lower grades and participated in various sports like soccer. His friends loved him while lower classmen feared him. Kendra recalled how happy he was with Paige Michalchuk, the most popular girl in grade eleven and leader of the school's Spirit Squad. She had to fight the urge to throw up when they got lovey-dovey with each other when she visited them. The term "honeybee" made her wince when she heard it.

Unfortunately, they were through. Kendra didn't know the details, but Spinner and Paige, the dream couple of Degrassi, had broken up over a misunderstanding. The school rumor mill had said he had been taking advantage of her and had hooked up with Manny Santos, another member of the Spirit Squad. She also heard of the trouble her brother gave to Rick over what he did to his girlfriend. The girl in question, Terri MacGregor, had been a close friend of Spinner and Paige, but Rick abused her, and after recovering from a coma rumored to be caused by Rick, her father had taken her out of the school. From what Kendra had heard, Rick definitely deserved Spinner's tormenting after what he had done to Terri, and the whole school made the bespectacled girfriend abuser a pariah. Everyone rejected his claims of changing for the better. In a rare show of cooperation, activist Emma and cheerleader Paige teamed up to force Rick out of Degrassi. Despite being reviled by most of the student body, Rick found a friend: Toby. Kendra thought about that. It baffled her as to how Toby could befriend a girlfriend abuser, but she did notice Toby and J.T., his supposed best friend, rarely hung out together. Perhaps he and Rick shared the same interests. She knew they were on the school's Whack Your Brain team together.

Kendra gulped. Whack Your Brain. The TV trivia competition was where Rick possibly snapped. He had helped Degrassi win, and as he stood there in his moment of triumph, the unthinkable happened. A rain of feathers and a yellow liquid descended on him, and a fragile mind snapped. Kendra had been watching, but she had wanted to see how Toby would do. She blinked. How Toby AND Emma would do. From there, a boy was shot in the back, and the abuser-turned-victim-turned-avenger died at the hand of his own instrument of death.

She should have noticed. Spinner had been acting funny ever since the shooting. He never went to the hospital to check on his friend, and he seemed to be hiding something. Sometimes he would sit on his bed with his head bowed and his hands clasped as if waiting to be judged for some horrific crime. When Jimmy came back to school in a wheelchair, Spinner had done his best to help his friend out. Days later, it happened. Kendra gleamed what occured from the yelling her parents and Spinner engaged in. He had gone to the principal to tell her about the Whack Your Brain incident. Seems he had helped commit the prank with a Jay Hogart. The principal expelled both boys, and Kendra noticed how downcast her brother had become. None of his friends showed up at their home, and the school rumor mill told of how low he and Jay had been in committing the cruel deed.

"Things will get better," Oliver said, smiling at Kendra again.

"You just have to believe," a tall girl with a mop-top of frizzy brown hair said as she joined the three grade nines.

Dressed in a white blouse and pleaded skirt, Henrietta Veracomo looked like she belonged in parochial school save for the brown sandals and pinks socks on her feet. A silver chain hung around her neck, and Kendra wondered what was at its end.

"What? You want us to pray things will get better?" Oliver said.

"It couldn't hurt," Henrietta said. She placed her hand on Kendra's shoulder. "I'll pray for your brother."

Kendra blinked at Henrietta's hand. "Er, thanks."

"So you'll be praying for the guy who loves to stuff the new kids in lockers?" Oliver said, earning him a glare from Kendra.

"As well as for Rick," Henrietta said.

Kendra raised an eyebrow at her. "And why would you do that? He knocked a girl into a coma!"

Henrietta met Kendra's eyes with calm, clear, half-open green ones. "We can't change the past, and no one deserves to be bullied, not even Rick. He said he had changed. He overcame the darkness in his heart."

"How can you be so sure?" Oliver said. "He could've snapped at any moment. Maybe hurt someone else."

Henrietta sighed. "I worry for this world. All the suffering we put each other through because of the darkness in our hearts. I wish humans would be able to put their pettiness behind them and..."

"Sing 'Kumbaya?'" Oliver said seconds before feeling something roll on his foot. "Yeow!" he yelled, hopping on one foot and looking at the other, which sported a brief impression of a wheel.

Nadia looked at Oliver. "You were saying?" she said, smirking.

"Look, Henrietta, it's bad enough my brother got expelled from school, but now..." Kendra gestured towards a group of girls standing next to their lockers. They stared silently at her, and she knew they had been talking about her earlier. She noticed them whispering with each other and pointing to her. Now they frowned at her and looked away. Others gave her dirty looks and whispered among themselves as they made their way to their classes.

Oliver shrugged. "Not like many people noticed you before anyway," he said, leaping away from Nadia in order to save his feet.

Kendra rolled her eyes. A recent transfer to Degrassi, Oliver befriended Kendra and Nadia at the start of the school year, and despite his wisecracks, the girls accepted him. No matter how serious the situation was, he always cracked a joke or two. Like her, he loved anime, although he tended to argue the merits of _Dragon Ball Z_ a little too much for her taste. Action was good. Watching two guys grunt and glare at each other during a fight that took several episodes to finish wasn't.

"You just need faith," Henrietta said calmly. "Although darkness exists in the human heart, there is still light."

Kendra stared at the girl with frizzy brown hair and feet covered in pink socks and brown sandals. Henrietta's fashion sense wasn't the only odd thing about her. Although her parents were devout Christians (her father was a prominent preacher in Toronto), she tended to not go along with their train of thought. For one thing, she liked anime, especially mahou shoujo shows. She loved Harry Potter despite her parent's objections to the series as being supportive of witchcraft and Satanism. In fact, whatever her parents believed in, she tended to believe in the opposite. That didn't make her odd in Kendra's eyes, though. Henrietta tended to speak about the ills of humanity like Emma, but when she spoke, she spoke of the darkness in the human heart and how people must overcome it. She spoke of the need for people to let the light outshine darkness.

Kendra remembered how she and Henrietta first met. It had been under unpleasant circumstances. Near the end of the previous school year, a group of girls had surrounded the tall girl and were teasing her about her looks, especially her hair and clothes. Kendra had butted in, and the girls proceeded to beat a hasty retreat. Henrietta had been wearing a pink vest over a blue shirt and green trousers. When Kendra was about to ask if she was okay, Henrietta smiled and said, "Your light is strong."

"Huh?" Kendra had said as she stared in disbelief at the girl.

"You do," Henrietta had said, still smiling.

Kendra managed to divert her attention to the Sailor Moon folder in the other girl's hands and started talking about it. The conversation became a normal one about anime, and the two befriended each other despite Henrietta's dottiness. Looking back, Kendra wondered if she liked Henrietta because of her oddness. Suddenly, she found herself looking at the girl with frizzy hair and green eyes with concern.

"Are you okay, Henrietta?" she asked. "You're looking really pale."

"Yeah," Nadia said, looking over the tall girl with the pink socks.

Henrietta blinked. "Actually..." Her green eyes focused on Kendra. "Can you feel it?" she whispered.

Kendra blinked back. "Feel what?"

"Something's...here," Henrietta said softly, her eyes filled with concern. "Something from the darkness."

Kendra and the others stared at their odd friend as other students passed by them. Kendra didn't notice the dirty looks aimed at her or the cruel whispers. The footsteps around her seemed to fade away into nothing. She did feel a slight chill, though.

Oliver took it upon himself to end the awkward silence among the four grade nines. "Uh, guys, we'd better get to homeroom. I'd like not to be late," he said, pointing in the direction of their destination.

"Good idea," Nadia said.

Kendra nodded and led the way. As the group walked through the classroom door, she looked at Henrietta again and wondered if she had gotten paler. The kids already inside stopped talking upon seeing the sister of Spinner Mason, and Kendra did her best to ignore their staring.

"Not late," Oliver said, looking at the wall clock. "Thank God," he added with a sigh of relief as he took a seat next to Kendra. "Hmmmm...where's the teacher?"

Nadia wheeled herself to a table in the back. Henrietta looked at a seat next to Kendra and was about to sit in it when she stopped moving. Her arm began to tremble, and it spread to the rest of her body.

"Henrietta?" Kendra asked, and the chill came back.

The trembling stopped, and Henrietta fell to the floor just as the teacher appeared in the doorway. As her friend hit it, Kendra sprang out of her seat.

* * *

From a nearby alley, he looked upon the plain-looking structure of painted bricks and plaster and grinned. A low chuckle escaped from his lips as he recalled what had happened there as kids swarmed inside. He sensed the pain there, tasted it, and found it appetizing. That building, Degrassi Community School, was a good place to start. He leaned his head back and took in the feeling of his surroundings. Yes, it was delectable. The taste of pain, misery, suffering, and agony...so delicious! Appetizing! Children, especially those approaching adulthood, made the best meals.

As he watched the children enter the school, he paused and sensed his target wasn't there. Of course, the others were targets, in and out of the school, but he wanted the instigator. He regreted not arriving in time to claim the shooter, but he liked the one who pushed him to do it. That boy made him snap, so to speak. He lamented the low number of victims; he had been to places where the death count was magnificently higher. School shootings were rare incidents, but such sources of sorrow for him to exploit like the bloody battlefields! The maiming, the killing, the cries for change, the illogical blaming...it all helped him perfectly, and it was the same wherever students vented their frustration through bullets and bombs. Still, this school interested him. Before the shooting, the school had been considered one of the safest in Canada. After the shots rang out in the hallways, it became vulnerable and ripe. Yes, he would begin here. He found starting here refreshing. The darkness was growing stronger in this eastern metropolis, especially in the little institute of education before him. Nothing could stop him.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful presence within the school. With his gloved hand tightening around the top of his cane, he tapped it on the ground as he tried to recall why it was familiar. A frown crossed his face as he remembered. It had been rare, but it proved troublesome to his existence. He recalled he would be found soon, but his pursuer didn't bother him. Darkness always won. Darkness always dominated. It was the status quo of the world. To fight it was futile. However, he knew a good number of people fought the status quo daily. He marvelled at their persistence. The recent one proved to be a pain to his operations, and death could not stop the heir to the tireless task. He stood still and felt the presence again. No, it wasn't the same person. The power seemed weaker, but he sensed the potential to become stronger. He knew he was stronger, but throughout his lifetime, humans surprised him, which annoyed him to no end.

He decided to let it go for now and refocused on his first target. He wanted him, and after that, more would follow. Humans were weak creatures. So easy to bend to his will. So easy to immerse into the darkness. He knew who to send after the target. He needed to make sure his plan worked. He pulled out a pocket watch and checked the time. Ah, time. Time wasn't a factor to him, but he knew the importance to sticking to a schedule. He would dispatch his operatives at once, but only after getting the information he needed.

Stretching out his dark-clad arm, he snapped his glove-covered fingers at Degrassi Community School. With dark thoughts swirling in his head, he turned around and started walking away with the back of his coat flapping behind him. As the children ran inside the normal-looking school as the bell warned them about their tardiness with its loud ringing, his footsteps and the tapping of his cane echoed softly until they faded away into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Hikari/Yami 

Chapter 2: First Sightings

by HA

"You think Henrietta will be okay?" Nadia asked as she poked at her pile of peas.

Kendra did the same and frowned at their extreme softness. "She hasn't been back to class ever since she fainted."

"Are they even sure this is food?" Oliver remarked as he eyed what seemed to be a carrot on his fork.

Kendra looked at Oliver and sighed. "Can we please focus?"

Oliver grinned sheepishly and put his fork down. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood here."

Kendra and her friends sat at a table in the section of the cafeteria mostly populated by the grade nines as they ate their school lunches. Actually, they talked more than ate since they distrusted the edibleness of their food, and Henrietta was the main topic. Kendra had helped carry her to the nurse's office. Around them, their schoolmates ate, talked, gossiped, and occasionally looked towards their table with looks that said "This is all your fault." Kendra ignored them.

"You think the school called her parents?" Nadia asked.

"They had to, right?" Oliver said.

"Her Dad and Mom've been out of town for a week," Kendra said after drinking from her water glass. "Some big religious conference in Ottawa, she said."

"She woke up?" Oliver said as his fork fell onto his tray, making a loud clang.

"Yeah," Kendra answered.

"So why hasn't she been back to class?" Nadia asked.

Kendra paused with her dinner roll waiting to be bitten into. "She said she still wasn't feeling well," she said quickly.

"Oh, okay," Nadia said.

Kendra looked at her roll and put it down. "I'm going to see her now," she said, scooping up her rolls. Seeing Oliver looking at her, she said, "What? They're the only things edible."

"Here," Nadia said with a grin as he handed over her rolls.

Oliver looked at his rolls, sighed, and gave his to Kendra. "At least the mashed potatoes look edible," he said as he poked the pile of white mush before him with his fork.

"Thanks, guys," Kendra said. She wrapped the bread in a napkin, and without looking at the people staring at her from all around the cafeteria, she left with her small bundle and her backpack slung over her shoulder.

* * *

"Damn it," Toby Isaacs muttered under his breath. "Not again."

For the umpteenth time, the computer screen before him had gone fuzzy. It flickered and flashed rapidly before his eyes, and he couldn't make out the text he had been reading. Looking around, he saw the same thing happen to the other computers as screen savers became flashing mosaics. He also saw he was the only one in the computer lab, and he let out a mournful sigh.

Toby had been thankful Mr. Simpson had allowed him to stay in the computer lab for lunch. Ever since the school shooting, people tended to give him funny looks and not talk to him. Well, they talked about him, but he didn't like what he heard. "Look, there's the kid who was friends with the school shooter," he heard one time. "Think he'll snap, too?" he heard another time.

He shook his head and checked his monitor. Still fuzzy and flickering. He frowned, and despite his love for computers, he wished someone else was here. However, he knew Emma was with Manny, and J.T. was with Danny and Liberty. He couldn't help but shake his head and grin. J.T. and Liberty...it took them forever to hook up. Things have sure changed...

He sighed. Change...the only constant in life. Degrassi had been an ordinary Canadian school with the usual teen angst. Toby knew this well; his stepsister Ashley tended to be involved, and he had his own share in the past. Just your typical growing pains until a kid he called a friend went postal and shot someone.

He knew about Rick's past from what he heard from the school rumor mill, but when he looked at him, he looked harmless. Didn't look like a girlfriend beater. Heck, they shared the same interests. It had been good to relate to someone since J.T. started hanging out with the cooler crowd, and it really helped since he and Kendra broke up...

He sighed again. Kendra. He wondered what went wrong. She had said he was always crowding her. He had made an effort to cut down on that, but he had hoped she would go to the same summer camp with him. Sure, he went as a counselor, but he thought there wouldn't be a problem. She must've seen one because after telling her, they slowly drifted apart, and his first romantic relationship ended in a whimper rather than a bang. He would see her in the hallway with Nadia and other kids from her grade, but every time he wanted to talk to her, his stomach would bubble, and he ended up walking without another glance at her. Still, he wished he had someone to talk to. Heck, he wished his monitor would stop acting up.

"Hee hee hee...maybe you need to hurt them back."

Toby blinked and looked around again. Sure enough, he was still alone among the flickering computer monitors, and Mr. Simpson said he would be back before the end of lunch. The strange voice had come out of nowhere, and he wondered if he was imagining it.

"Yes, yes. You need to hurt them for hurting you."

The words echoed through his head. Toby wondered if the loneliness was getting to him.

"You got hurt. Hurt them back. Make them all pay. Master will help you," the voice whispered.

Toby looked around the room again. "OK, is this some kind of joke?"

"Hee hee hee. Me sense your pain. Master can help you."

Toby frowned and wondered if this was one of J.T.'s pranks. Heck, he wondered if Spinner was the mastermind, then remembered he had been expelled. He looked at his monitor and gasped. Aside from the jumbled content and flickering, he could've sworn two red eyes were there.

"Hee hee hee. Me almost done here, but me think me tell Master all about you, Toby," the monitor said, the two red eyes narrowing. Before Toby could ask how the voice knew his name, it said, "Me know everything about you and everyone else here now, Toby. Master will get the other boy first, and maybe he get you later, hee hee hee."

Toby pushed his glasses up and rubbed his eyes. "OK, I must be losing it..."

"Hee hee hee, me done now. Me help Master, and maybe Master will help you later, Toby. Bye-bye."

"Toby?"

Toby's head shot out from behind the monitor and saw a short-haired Chinese girl standing there with a small wrapped bundle. "Kendra?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Been a while, huh?"

Toby stared at his monitor. The web page he had been looking back was back in order. No pair of red eyes was present. "Yeah...yeah, it has." He looked around and saw that all of the screen savers on the other computers were working normally.

"Something wrong?" Kendra asked, looking around with him.

"Oh, I'm fine," Toby said quickly, although he still wondered what had just happened. "Hey, are you shivering?"

Kendra looked at herself and noticed a little shaking going through her body. "A little. Must be the air conditioning in here," she said as she straightened herself out. Actually, the shaking has begun as she was walking towards the nurse's office. It had intensified when she had spotted Toby all alone in the computer lab. Curiosity got the best of her as she walked in to see why her ex-boyfriend wasn't in the cafeteria or outside. She sensed the loneliness in him. "You sure you're all right?"

For a while, no one spoke. They hadn't spoken since the summer, and they stared at each other.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Toby said finally, dismissing the previous events as a figment of his imagination, although a part of him was still unsure about that, and he found the silence reassuring compared to an evil voice telling him to hurt people. However, it was nice Kendra was talking to him despite their breakup and the recent shooting...

"Sorry about Spinner," he blurted out, and the wince on his face told her he quickly regretted what he said.

Kendra sighed. "Yeah." Her feelings on him were split. He was her brother, but what he did...

More silent staring followed. Toby couldn't take it, and this time he was careful with his words. "So where are you going?"

"Going to check on a friend at the nurse's office, and I thought I'd bring some food for her," she answered, showing the small bundle she had.

Toby looked at it. "The rolls, huh? Good thing I brought lunch." He paused. "Say..."

Kendra watched as he dug through his backpack at his feet and pulled out an almost full brown bag with his name on it. "Please don't tell me you're trying to starve yourself thin again," she commented.

"Nah. Just wasn't hungry much." Toby stood up and held out the crumpled bag. "I hope your friend doesn't mind a carton of fruit juice and two brownies. Ate my sandwich and bag of chips before coming here, though."

"I'm sure she won't mind," Kendra said. "Say, why don't you come with me? It's good to be looking up stuff on Anipike," she said, looking at Toby's computer screen, "but it'd be nice to have some company."

"Yeah..." Toby looked around at the almost-emptiness of the room. "Guess you're right. I hope you don't mind, though."

"Hey, just because we broke up doesn't mean we have to hate each other, right?" Kendra said as Toby closed his browser window.

"Right," Toby said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, and he followed her out. Before he exited, he took one last look at the computers, and once he saw them displaying their screen savers without any trouble, he made sure to lock the door behind him and continued on his way.

* * *

"An interesting choice of food," Henrietta said as she looked over one roll while sitting up on the examination table with the rest of the donated food lying in her lap.

"Sorry, but that's all the edible food we had to spare," Kendra said with a smile.

"I highly recommend the brownies," Toby said.

"Thank you," Henrietta said softly. "I appreciate what you've done for me." As she took up a roll to eat, she looked at Toby through half-opened green eyes. "So, you're her ex-boyfriend."

"Um, er, yeah," Toby said, blushing a little.

"Feeling better?" Kendra asked quickly as Henrietta finished her rolls.

"I am now," she answered before drinking from the fruit juice carton with a thin plastic straw and swallowing loudly. "It's not here anymore."

"Er, what's not here?" Kendra asked.

Henrietta swallowed the mouthful of brownie she had been chewing on. "The thing from the darkness. Surely you felt it."

Toby paused. "Is she like this all the time?" he whispered to Kendra.

"Yeah, she always talks about light and darkness in people's hearts," Kendra whispered back as the frizzy-haired girl wolfed down the brownies between sips of juice, "but she never talked about things coming from the darkness before."

Toby recalled the voice from the computer lab. "Er, does she say she hears voices?" he whispered.

"Not since I've known her," Kendra answered. "Why do you ask?"

Toby stammered. "Er, um...nothing..."

"You heard voices?" Henrietta said to Toby, who nearly jumped in place.

"You could hear us?" Toby said.

"Not that hard," Henrietta said, "and Kendra is right. I like to talk about the light and darkness in each of us. However..." She paused, and her lip trembled. "I don't like what came here. It came from the darkness." Her eyes focused on Toby. "You have a strong light, too."

"OK..." Toby said, staring at the frizzy-haired girl.

"You'd better be careful, though," Henrietta added. "You're very vulnerable." She looked at both of them. "We all are," she added solemnly.

"Um, sure..." Toby said, his eyes getting wider behind his glasses. He edged slowly towards the door, which immediately flew open, nearly knocking over.

Hearing heavy panting, Kendra turned around and saw Oliver standing in the doorway. He was holding himself up against the doorway and held a carton of milk in his other hand while his backpack hung over his shoulder.

"Oliver?" she said, staring at him. "What are you...?"

"Thought...Henrietta...could...use...a drink..." Oliver said between gulps of air as he held up the milk carton while looking at Kendra.

"I'm good," Henrietta said, smiling as she showed Oliver her juice carton. "Toby was kind enough to donate his drink."

"Toby?" Oliver looked around and saw Toby. "Oh, so you're Kendra's ex," he said after looking over him.

Toby raised an eyebrow at Kendra. "You told every one of your friends about me?"

"They asked," Kendra replied with a grin. "Henrietta, you feeling better?"

"Sure," Henrietta answered.

"We might as well head for our next class," Oliver said. "Lunch is almost over."

Kendra looked at the clock on the wall. "You're right. We'd better get going."

The four teens left the nurse's office as the hallway began to fill with students. As Henrietta walked behind everyone else, Oliver kept pace with Kendra as she talked with Toby.

"You know, if you squeeze a little harder, you might break that," Henrietta commented.

Oliver looked down and saw how tightly he was holding his milk carton. He relaxed his grip, and when he looked at Kendra and Toby talking, he frowned.

They made their way to the front of the school. Then, they stopped walking. "Uh, guys, we have to get going. Class," Oliver said. Looking around the hallway, he saw the rest of the students walking along while Toby and his two friends were looking out the glass doors. Kendra was shivering, and Henrietta looked like she was about to faint.

Kendra couldn't believe her eyes. A short dark figure with drooping rabbit-like ears stood at the bottom of the stairs. It hunched over with its long arms hanging at its sides. It wiggled its sharp claws and looked back with red eyes while grinning maliciously. A man with a dog passed by and didn't notice it as he went on his way. How couldn't he see that? she wondered.

Toby watched as the creature giggled as it pointed at him. Its grin grew wider, and a grim chuckle escaped from the corners of its mouth.

"Toby," Kendra whispered as her shivering got under control, "it's pointing at you."

"It is," Henrietta said, still staring at the creature.

Before Toby could reply, the creature turned around and ran away. Kendra started to walk towards the door as the creature ran, but Oliver stepped into her path. "Hey, we got class, remember?" he said.

"Huh?" Kendra blinked as if coming out of a trance. "Oliver, did you see it?"

Oliver looked through the glass doors. "See what? The guy with the dog?"

"How could you miss it?" Toby said.

"Miss what?" Oliver scratched his head.

Kendra looked out. The creature was gone.

Oliver gave everyone a funny look. "Are you guys OK?"

Henrietta stared through the glass doors. "Darkness is emerging," she said faintly.

Around the four kids, the sea of students continued to move.


	3. Chapter 3

Hikari/Yami 

Chapter 3: During the Night

by HA

"So, you planning to donate blood tomorrow?" Kendra heard a grade twelve boy ask a grade twelve girl as she passed by the lockers.

"No way!" the girl said with a shudder. "I hate needles."

Kendra rolled her eyes back. "Wimp," she muttered as she continued on her way.

For Kendra, the rest of the school day proved uneventful. After hours of hearing teachers drone on about stuff she really didn't care about and listening to people talk about the upcoming blood drive being held in the gym, she left Degrassi with a load of homework. She frowned at the weight she carried as she exited through the glass doors.

"Man, we're going to have fun tonight," Oliver said dryly as he staggered under the weight of his backpack.

"Loads of it," Nadia said as she rolled down the access ramp with her backpack slung on the back of her wheelchair.

"At least you don't have to carry it," Oliver quipped as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Right, Kendra?" He saw Kendra standing at the top of the steps looking at something. "Kendra?"

Kendra watched as Toby left the campus. From the way he walked, he seemed to be burdened with homework as well. He continued on his way home by himself.

"Hello! Earth to Kendra!" Oliver yelled.

Kendra hopped a little in place and faced her friend. "What?"

Oliver watched as Toby disappeared from his sight. "Oh never mind. Say," he said, adjusting his backpack, "wanna get together and study tonight at my place?"

Kendra stared at him. "Huh?"

Oliver gulped. "Er, um..." He grinned as he rubbed the back of his head. "Heh heh." He took a deep breath. "Do you wanna...?"

"Hey, Henrietta," Kendra said as the frizzy-haired girl exited the school.

Henrietta walked to the others with her own load of homework in her bag. "Hello."

"Hey, Henrietta," Oliver said. "Seen any monsters lately?"

Kendra's fist quickly made contact with Oliver's arm. The boy hopped back.

"Ow," he said, wincing as he rubbed the hit spot.

"No, as a matter of fact," Henrietta stated. "Everything all right?"

"Oh, everything's normal," Nadia said with a grin while looking at Kendra and Oliver.

"Ah. Well, I must be going," Henrietta said as she spotted a blue car pulling up in front of the school. "Take care of yourselves," she said, and she leaned closer to Kendra. "Watch out for the darkness," she whispered before heading for the car.

As the car drove off, Oliver walked up to Kendra. "So?"

"So what?" Kendra said.

"You wanna come to my place to study?" Oliver asked as his knees shook.

Kendra looked over her friend. "Are you all right? You seem to be shaking."

Oliver tried to straighten up. "Who, me?" he said, pointing to himself.

"Anyway, I can't go out tonight," Kendra said. "Got way too much to do," she added as she patted her heavy backpack.

"Oh, okay," Oliver said as he hunched his shoulders.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," Kendra said before walking off.

"Yeah, see ya," Oliver said under his breath as he watched Kendra leave. He sighed loudly.

Nadia shook her head and smiled. "You've got it bad."

Oliver turned around to face her with reddened cheeks. "Got what bad?"

Nadia covered her mouth with her hand and laughed a little. His face still red, Oliver frowned at her.

* * *

Bending over the living room table as she held her pencil over the final blank space on her worksheet, Kendra double-checked her open textbook. "All right," she said before scribbling the answer in the spot, and with a sigh of relief, she placed the worksheet inside her book and slammed it shut. "Finally done," she said as she placed the book on top of her other homework. "Now, to more important stuff," she said as she grabbed the TV remote and clicked the TV on. Soon, images of an armored heroine with pink hair smashing her way through a horde of monsters flashed before her eyes. "Made it in time," she said with a grin as she settled into the couch.

"Aw, not this big-eyed cartoon junk again," a voice said from behind her.

Kendra frowned. "Finally awake, Spinner?"

Stepping out, Spinner yawned and stretched. "Yeah. Had a rough day at work. Needed the rest. Glad I didn't have to stay longer," he said as he plopped next to his sister on the couch. "How was your day?"

"Same old, same old," Kendra said, keeping her attention to the TV. "Lots of talk, and lots of homework."

"I can tell," Spinner said as he looked at the pile of books and papers on the coffee table. "Better move those or you'll break the table."

"Right. Sure," Kendra said, still keeping her eyes on the TV.

Spinner continued to stare at Kendra's school things. "Say, I still have my books."

"Good for you," Kendra answered without looking at him.

"So," Spinner said, clearing his throat, "anything happening at school?"

"The usual," Kendra said, still watching her show. "There's a blood drive at school tomorrow, but why should you care?" She turned off the TV and tossed the remote onto the table. "You know what? I've seen this episode already," she said as she picked up her schoolbooks and papers. "I'll be in my room."

Before Spinner could say another word, Kendra marched off towards her room. Seconds later, he heard a loud slam. He stared at where his sister once sat, where her books and papers once were, and at the TV remote. He reached for it and rubbed his thumb against the power button while staring at the blank screen. Finally, he let out a sigh and placed the remote on the table. Leaning back into the couch, he recalled when he would have friends over. He remembered when friends let him stay over. Heck, he remembered when he had friends.

Ever since the incident at Craig's party, no one has talked to him or tried to see him. He was a...a...Spinner slapped his head. He had heard the word in English class and it started with a "p." He slapped his head again, and the answer came to him. Pariah. Yes, that was the word. He was a pariah. All because he pranked the guy who had put his friend in the hospital. All because the nutcase came back to school with a gun and shot Jimmy in the back. Now they blamed him for everything, especially for Jimmy being stuck in a wheelchair for who knows how long. As for Jimmy, no matter how much he begged for his forgiveness, he never gave it.

It was bad enough he lost his friends. Then it got worse. He confessed to Mrs. Hatzilakos about his part in the prank, and he got expelled. Not suspended, but expelled. She said the school had zero tolerance for bullying. Normally, he would've been glad about not going to school, but his parents didn't see it that way. No, they weren't happy one bit. The principal had called them about the expulsion, and they didn't take it well. Although Mrs. Mason hadn't said a word about it, Mr. Mason shouted his disappointment to his son and stressed he'd better not lounge around the house all the day doing nothing. Spinner found himself working at the Dot during school hours and trying to study with his textbooks afterwards. He even wrote up exams based on the material in them.

Also, Kendra barely spoke to him anymore. Although they never hung out in school, they did talk at home. At least, they used to. Now she never talks to him at dinner. She does her best to ignore him. Every time he asks her how her day was, she would pick up her stuff and go to her room.

Standing up, he walked to Kendra's room and knocked on the door. "Kendra?"

"Go away!" she shouted from behind the door.

"We need to talk," he said.

"No we don't!" she answered.

He turned the handle. The door didn't open, and he banged his fist repeatedly on it. "Kendra, open up!"

"No!" she shouted back.

He took a series of deep breaths before speaking again. "I'm your big brother. You gotta tell me what's wrong with you."

He heard the door lock click, and the door opened slightly. Kendra glared at her brother. "You wanna know what's wrong? You really wanna know what's wrong?"

"Yeah." Spinner stood before his sister. "Yeah, I do."

"Let's see..." As Kendra spoke, she counted off on her fingers. "You pulled a prank on a kid you liked to bully, he brought a gun to school and shot Jimmy, and almost everyone hates me because of what you did." She narrowed her eyes at him. "That good enough for you?"

"But..." Spinner was about to talk about Rick and how he hurt Terri, but Kendra had held up her finger for silence.

"Your best friend is in a wheelchair because of you," she continued. "He might be paralyzed for the rest of his life, and it's all your fault!"

"I didn't shoot him!" Spinner said.

"But you drove the shooter to do it," Kendra said. "That's what they're saying about you. You're the big bully who drove Rick Murray to pick up a gun and try to recreate Columbine."

"I wasn't alone. Jay..."

"You could've left him alone. You didn't have to bully him."

"He hurt Terri! He's the reason she had to leave Degrassi. He was a freak!"

"So he deserved what he got? He deserved to die?"

Spinner's mouth stayed open. He closed it as Kendra continued to speak.

"You know what? He may have hurt Terri, but you didn't have to drive him crazy. You didn't have to dump that paint and junk on him in front of all those people." Kendra's glare intensified. "Now your friends hate you, you've been expelled, and I'm guilty by association." She frowned at her brother. "Thanks a lot, Spin."

Before Spinner could say anything, Kendra slammed her door in his face. He hung his head as he heard her lock it.

* * *

After dinner, Toby went to his room and skimmed through a volume of manga. When the black-and-white drawings of warriors fighting monsters failed to cheer him up, he shut the book and put it away. He wanted to call someone, but who? Emma? More likely busy with her family. Manny? Too busy doing something. J.T.? Too busy with Liberty more likely.

Kendra came to mind, but Toby threw that idea away. Sure, their talk earlier was nice, but it didn't mean he could call her up anytime he wanted. He and Spinner had never exactly gotten along while he was dating Kendra, but being Rick's friend made the situation worse.

"I hate being alone," Toby said with a sigh as he laid down on the bottom bunk of his bed.

* * *

As soon as Spinner was back in his room, Kendra left hers and warmed a TV dinner in the microwave. As she bit into her Salisbury steak, the phone rang. Putting her fork down, she got up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Kendra?" the voice on the other line asked.

"Oliver?" Kendra said.

"Yeah, it's me," Oliver said. "Just wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm doing fine, thanks," Kendra said as she drank from her water glass. "Just eating dinner right now."

"Oh, okay," Oliver said. "We're about to have ours."

Kendra heard a woman on Oliver's side call out to him. "Looks like you'd better go eat."

"Yeah, I'd better," Oliver said. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you then. Bye." Kendra paused. "Wait, Oliver."

"Huh?"

"Why did you call me anyway? Did you need something?"

"Oh...um...no, not really. Just wanted to check up on you."

"Ah, okay. Bye then."

"Bye." Oliver's side went click. As he lifted his hand off the receiver, Oliver shook his head and hit himself in the head with a sofa cushion before heeding his mom's call to dinner.

Kendra hung up the phone and continued eating dinner. Minutes later, she heard footsteps coming from Spinner's room as she was throwing the plastic tray away. When she turned around from the trash can, she found Spinner standing before her.

"We talked already," Kendra said.

"I know, but..." Spinner searched for the right words. "Okay, what I did was wrong, but..."

"But nothing. Rick's dead, and Jimmy's in a wheelchair."

"I know." Spinner sighed. "I know, but I can't change anything. Look, I'm sorry that everyone hates you because of what I did."

"'Sorry'?" Kendra crossed her arms. "That's all you can say? 'Sorry'? Did you tell Jimmy 'sorry' after you told him what you did?"

"Yes." Spinner closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I wish it never happened." He sniffed. "I wish everything was back to normal..."

Kendra watched as a tear dropped to the floor. She heard her brother sob loudly.

"I want to go back to school. I want my friends back. I want everything back to normal, Kendra."

Kendra watched as more tears fell to the floor. Spinner raised his head so she could see the tear streaks on his face. He sniffled as he wiped his eyes.

"I'm pathetic, ain't I?" he said.

She smiled. "A little."

"Maybe after work tomorrow I can talk to Mrs. Hatzilakos about going back to school," he said.

"What makes you so sure she'll let you back in?" she asked.

He sighed. "I'm not, but I've got to try at least." He looked at her. "I just want to move on, Kendra. I just want everything back to normal."

For the first time since the shooting, Kendra looked at her brother without hatred.

* * *

The beaten-up van arrived in Toronto at exactly 11 PM. It drove around the city and navigated the various streets and buildings until it found what its driver was looking for. With care, the van parked in front of Degrassi Community School.

The driver's door opened, and a girl in a blue jacket stepped out. She ran her hand through her short dark brown hair as he looked at the building in front of her. Despite the sunglasses sitting on her nose, she could make out the school clearly in the barely illuminated night, a skill she found most important. Besides, she knew true darkness.

"This is it, huh?" she said while slightly adjusting her sunglasses. "Nothing out of the ordinary, but..."

She stood there staring at the now empty building. Her hand moved around in her pants pocket as she felt the slightly sharp angled object there. After a few minutes, she stepped back into the van and turned the key in the ignition, awakening the mechanical beast of burden, which responded with a few loud roars.

"I wonder..." she said as she started driving away from the school. "Where are you?"

The van exited into the night, leaving the school to await its anticipated crowds for the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

Hikari/Yami 

Chapter 4: An Offer He Couldn't Refuse

by HA

The next day brought the blood drive, a charitable event organized by Degrassi's student council president, Marco Del Rossi. Held in the school gymnasium, participants sat in chairs as they donated their blood in order to help others they would less likely know personally. One notable thing was the student council vice-president doing her best to show school spirit by moving around the gym dressed as the Degrassi Panther and occasionally hugging Marco from behind.

However, that story has been told, and its end is indeed marked with sadness for Mr. Del Rossi. To her disgust, his vice-president knows another character who is in this story, but that has no consequence on what will transpire in this chapter. Instead, the focus shall go to the central player in another tale.

* * *

"You shouldn't be here, Gavin." 

Spinner heard Mrs. Hatzilakos' words, but he didn't care. Holding tightly the flower pot he brought as a peacemaking present, he steadied himself as he spoke to the principal. "I...I didn't make an appointment. I was afraid you wouldn't see me. I just want you to know this being expelled, I'm not taking it like it's a vacation. I've been keeping up in my textbooks."

"You were supposed to return those," Mrs. Hatzilakos said.

"But I need them to write exams," Spinner said.

"You don't get to do that," she said firmly.

"So that's it?" Spinner stood his ground, but he felt like he had been punched in the stomach. "I just lose my whole year?" He didn't need this. He didn't want to be left behind academically. Even worse, he didn't want to get stuck serving old ladies who wanted water for their dogs and Jay. He'd rather be dead before that.

Mrs. Hatzilakos studied the young man's face carefully. "I'm willing to offer summer school," she said finally.

Spinner blinked unbelievingly. "But that only gives me two credits," he said knowingly. "That's not even enough to graduate. I mean, that's a whole year of my life I have to do over." His temper flared. "That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is that Rick Murray is dead as an indirect result of your bullying," Mrs. Hatzilakos stated.

"I need to finish my year, Ms. H!" Spinner pleaded.

"No."

That one word did it. Spinner clutched the flower pot and tossed it into the garbage can nearby. Without saying a word, he marched out of the principal's office. He couldn't wait to get back on his bike and head home. When he reached the fence where his bike was secured, he found Jay Hogart, his co-conspirator in the Rick Murray bullying and prank, grabbing his bike. Unable to remove it from the fence, Jay snarled in frustration and kicked it.

"Hey!" Spinner exclaimed as he ran for his bike.

Jay smiled upon seeing his fellow expelled student. "You want a kick, too?" he asked, gesturing to the recent recipient of his foot.

"That's my bike, goofbag," Spinner said, looking at him as if he wanted to kick as well as punch him a few times.

Jay paused. "Yeah, well, it's your fault I'm so bored!"

"So? I'm stuck with you! Haven't I been punished enough?" Spinner declared to the heavens.

"Not yet," Jay said.

Spinner frowned and recalled the meeting with Mrs. Hatzilakos. A grin formed on his face. "Know what...bike stealing? It's kid's stuff. But real stealing from Degrassi..."

"Been there, done that," Jay said.

"Okay then..." Spinner scratched his chin. "How about we redecorate the place? Maybe start with a little toilet paper around the hallways..."

"Oooo, vandalism," Jay said. "I can work with that." He paced in a small circle. "However, we have to sneak in first."

"Oh, that's easy," Spinner said. "Once, me and Jimmy..." He stopped. Even that moment of mischief with his friend at the expense of Mrs. Kwan was too much to handle. An awkward silence followed.

"Perhaps I can help?"

Both boys saw the man standing before them. He was wearing a spotless white jacket with twin coattails and pointed shoulders along with a matching vest and hat that covered his blond hair, which hung down his shoulders. A bolo tie adorned his neck, and a red buttonhole stood out. His hands were encased in white gloves, and he showed no sign of sweat. His white shoes were spotless. He grinned at them, exposing two rows of perfect white teeth.

Jay looked over the newcomer. "Who the hell are you?"

"A friend if you'll let me," the stranger in white answered.

Jay raised an eyebrow at the man. "Uh, sure. Whatever." He stared to walk away.

"Now hold on, kids." The stranger in white moved in front of Jay. "You wanna make some mischief, right?" he asked, looking at Spinner.

"Uh, right," Spinner said, backing away a little.

"Ah, kids." The stranger in white smiled again. "Always wanting to make mischief." He chuckled. "What if I told you boys I had something that can get you into that school without anyone noticing?"

"Uh, sorry, man. Not interested," Spinner said. "I know how to sneak into that school."

"Oh really?" The stranger in white kept his eyes on Spinner. "Ever wonder how you'd get out without leaving a trace of you being there?"

"Er..." Spinner blinked.

"Hey, we can wear gloves," Jay said.

"Oh, yeah. Gloves." The stranger in white wiggled his glove-covered fingers in the air. "So they won't have your prints. Ever wonder about security cameras?"

"Uh..." Jay blinked.

"Hey, they can take your footprints from the scene of the crime." The stranger in white crossed his arms and sneered at Jay. "Contrary to what you think, smart guy, cops can be smart."

Jay glared at the stranger in white. "And what do you have that'll help us? Something to make us invisible?"

The stranger in white chuckled. "Funny you should say that." He pointed towards the nearby alley. "Walk with me, boys. I'll show ya something."

As the man walked towards the alley, Spinner took a step forward to follow him. He felt someone grab his arm, and when he turned around, he found Jay staring at him.

"Are you nuts?" he said, tightening his grip on Spinner's arm.

Spinner grabbed Jay's hand and threw it off his arm. He walked towards the alley where the man was waiting. Jay grunted his frustration as he followed Spinner.

"Okay, what is it you want to show us?" Spinner asked.

The stranger in white reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something. Before Spinner and Jay could see what it was, the man disappeared before their eyes.

"What the hell?" Jay exclaimed as Spinner looked for the man. "Where'd he go?"

Laughter broke out around the alley. A blurry white shape appeared before the two boys, and seconds later, the stranger in white stood in front of them. "See what I mean?" he said, holding out his hand to show them something.

Spinner and Jay stared at the small object in the stranger's gloved hand. Their eyes beheld a black statue of what seemed to them a genie with a muscular torso and a pair of eyes on a head that seemed to be a single flame.

"What is it?" Spinner asked.

The stranger in white pulled the statue away. "This, boys, is the Shadowmyst," he answered. "Delightful object. Not only can it make its user disappear, but also whatever you desire." He pointed it at a patch of grass, rubbed it, and seconds later, all the blades there vanished. "Fortunately," he said to the awed teens, "they don't have to stay gone for long." He rubbed the statue again, and the grass reappeared. "In fact, it can do much more."

"Like what?" Spinner asked.

"Yeah, like what?" Jay asked.

"You'll know when you use it." The stranger's eyes fell on Spinner as he twirled the Shadowmyst in his hand. "All yours, kid."

Spinner blinked. "Mine?"

"Huh?" Jay stared at the stranger in white. "Why him?" he said, jabbing his thumb at Spinner.

"Whoa," Spinner said. "How much?" he said, reaching into his pocket.

The stranger in white wagged his finger. "Uh uh uh. Keep your money. Consider it a gift." He tossed the Shadowmyst to Spinner, who caught it with both hands.

"A gift?" Jay narrowed his eyes at the stranger. "What's the catch?"

"Catch?" the stranger in white said, smiling.

"Yeah," Jay said. "These days, nothing is free."

"Oh ye of little faith, my little thug," the stranger in white said. "When I next see you, you'll know." He looked at Spinner. "Enjoy your gift, kid. Have some fun with it," he said as he walked out of the alley.

For a while, both boys stared at the Shadowmyst in Spinner's hand. Spinner raised his head. "Hey!" he yelled, and he and Jay took off after the man. They turned the corner and found no one there.

"Okay," Jay said as he caught his breath, "that was weird."

"Yeah," Spinner said as he looked at the Shadowmyst.

"Hold on, man," Jay said, pointing to the Shadowmyst. "Don't tell me we're going to use this thing."

Spinner thought of Mrs. Hatzilakos and her "no." He saw his friends rejecting him. He saw Kendra being shunned. He had to fight the urge to crush the Shadowmyst. "Yeah, we are." He looked around before leaning towards Jay. "Okay, here's the plan..."

As Spinner and Jay plotted their revenge on the school, they failed to notice the red glow in the Shadowmyst's eyes.

* * *

"Perfect," the stranger in white said as he watched the two boys from another alley across the street. He grinned as they began talking. 

"Blargggg?"

The stranger in white looked behind him and addressed someone in a large trenchcoat and hat. "Relax. He'll use it, and after he has his fun, we'll have him."

"Braaaaakkkkk?" the other asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll use the Shadowmyst." The stranger in white cupped his pointed chin with his gloved hand. "Funny thing is I don't think we had to step in." He chuckled with his teeth showing. "Oh well, might as well give him a little push before we get him, right?"

The other gurgled his agreement.

"Come on," the stranger in white said with a sneer as he adjusted his hat. "We'll see him after he's had his fun."

The other nodded and let his comrade walk by him. They faced the other end of the alley.

The stranger turned around to look at the boys one last time. "See you later, Gavin," he said with a chuckle, flashing his white teeth once again.

The other gurgled loudly as he and the stranger disappeared into the darkness. The sound of footsteps and squishing faded away. Behind them, drips and puddles of a green substance remained on the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Pardon me if I take liberties with events from the show. Thank you :o) 

Hikari/Yami

Chapter 5: Encounter in the Dark

by HA

As night came to Toronto, Kendra sat in the living room watching anime with a bag of potato chips on her lap. Her parents were out, leaving her in charge. Actually, Spinner was supposed to be in charge, but he hadn't come back from work and Degrassi. He had told her he'd be stopping by there to plead his case to Mrs. Hatzilakos. So far, he hasn't come home, and he hasn't called.

"Where the heck are you, Spinner?" she said before popping a chip into her mouth.

* * *

While Kendra was wondering where her big brother was, he and Jay were hiding in cupboards at Degrassi Community School. Thanks to the Shadowmyst, they had snuck into the school when everyone had left. Spinner discovered the small statue could turn anything you wanted into mist, and in that form, he and Jay made their way into their current hiding places. 

"Think the janitor's gone?" Jay whispered fom his hiding place.

"He's gone," Spinner answered.

"How do you know?"

"I heard him leave and lock up for the night."

"What?"

Spinner grinned in the dark as he looked at the Shadowmyst. "This thing gave me super hearing too."

"Damn," Jay muttered. "If it's clear, let's go."

Both boys got out of their hiding places. They stretched and surveyed their new playground.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Spinner asked as he looked at the Shadowmyst.

Moments later, they found themselves in the gym throwing toilet paper rolls around the gym. Jay watched as Spinner used the Shadowmyst to throw a roll across the basketball court.

"Damn, man. What can't that thing do?" Jay held out his hand. "Can I try it out?"

"No!" Spinner glared at his friend and held the Shadowmyst tightly.

"Okay, okay," Jay said, waving his hands. Without saying another word, he picked up a toilet paper roll and tossed it towards a basketball hoop. It fell short of its goal. "Awww..." Then, the roll stopped before hitting the ground, and Jay watched as it flew upward and arched perfectly through the hoop.

"I believe that's three points for me," Spinner remarked.

* * *

By the time her brother and Jay decided to throw toilet paper around in the gym first, Kendra was getting worried. While they stacked chairs in the hallway and goofed around the school, she was bordering on becoming frantic. She wanted to call Spinner's friends, but then she realized they probably wouldn't know where he was or care. She paced around the living room for a half-hour before making her decision. 

"Damn it, Spinner," she muttered as she scribbled a note to her parents. After taping the note where her parents could see it easily and finding her housekey, she darted out the door and only after a minute did she come back to lock up. Without a second thought, she ran into the night towards Degrassi Community School.

At a motel parking lot, the girl in the blue jacket looked at the night sky while leaning against her van. Through her sunglasses, she made out the twinkling stars. After a while, she closed her eyes and reopened them after a minute.

"About time," she muttered. She looked around, and seeing that everything was clear, she broke into a run.

* * *

"What do we have here?" Spinner said as he looked at one of the yearbooks he had found in the boxes of a classroom. "Degrassi: A Year of Memories," he read from the cover before flipping through the yearbook. The Shadowmyst stuck out of his pants pocket. 

Jay frowned as he looked at his copy. "I said something worth something." He sighed as he started flipping through its pages. "I always like counting how many times I'm in this thing. The way I see it, the less, the better." He stopped on one page. "Oh crap, one. The last thing I want to see is me smiling goofy and hanging off my bestest friend." He continued flipping pages until he stopped. "No, two. I'm a freak! A failure. Nothing compared to you though. I mean, you're...you're all through this thing."

Looking through the yearbook, Spinner saw the truth to Jay's statement. As he looked at page after page, he saw pictures of him with his friends. There he was with Paige, his now ex-girfriend. There he was with Jimmy in a happy moment. There he was again and again and so on. One page even had "Friends Forever" in golden latters over some pictures. He closed his eyes, slammed the yearbook closed, and threw it to the floor as hard as he could.

"You all right there, Spinster?" Jay asked, staring at him.

Spinner opened his eyes and looked around. He knew what he had to do. "Follow me," he told Jay. "Grab some more."

* * *

Kendra leaned against a lamppost and caught her breath. She felt her legs were sore, but she didn't care. She was almost to the school. She was sure her brother was there. She didn't know why, but she was sure. Letting go of the lamppost, she got ready to walk. 

"Kendra?"

Kendra turned around sharply and gasped at the person standing there. "Henrietta?"

Wearing green trousers, pink sneakers, and a purple windbreaker over a red shirt, the frizzy-haired girl stood before Kendra. "Hello," she greeted with a little wave.

"What are you doing out here?" Kendra asked, staring at the other girl.

"Had a feeling," Henrietta answered. "My housekeeper went to bed early, and I went out. Left a note saying I was going to see you." She smiled. "At least she can't say I lied."

"A feeling?" Kendra asked.

"Yes," Henrietta said. "A bad one." She looked around the street, and Kendra saw she was shivering a little. "So what brings you out here?"

"My brother," Kendra said. "He said he'd be stopping by Degrassi after work, and he hasn't come home yet or called."

"You think he's still at the school?"

"I'm really not sure."

"Then why are you heading there?"

Kendra shrugged. "Not sure. Just going with a feeling."

"Looks like I'm not alone," Henrietta said. "Shall we go together?"

Kendra nodded, and the two continued walking to the school. They had not walked for a few minutes when Henrietta stopped.

"What is it?" Kendra asked, but she felt a chill go through her.

Henrietta shook as she spoke. "Darkness..."

"Yes, darkness..." a soft voice echoed around them. It was almost like a whisper, but it conveyed a hint of malevolence.

Both girls looked looked at each other. "Did you hear that?" Kendra asked.

"I did," Henrietta said.

"Good," Kendra said. "Either it's real, or we're both going crazy."

"You children are brave to be out here to confront the darkness."

Kendra looked around the barely lit street. She really didn't want to deal with creepy voices. "Come on! Show yourself!" she shouted, trying to stay calm.

"As you wish."

Then, both heard footsteps and a tapping sound. In the barely illuminated night, Kendra could make out a person in a coat. From the outline, she saw a tall hat and a cane in the other's hand. However, the other person stayed out of any direct lighting, meaning no other details could be made out. He walked into the middle of the street, where Kendra and Henrietta couldn't make out anything save his outline shrouded in shadows. Kendra felt cold suddenly, and she did her best not to shiver. She saw that Henrietta was starting to swoon, so she reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Hang in there," Kendra said, squeezing the other girl's arm.

Henrietta willed herself to stay on her feet as she beheld the shadowy figure. "Darkness..." she whispered.

"Yes." The shadowy figure grinned at the two girls. "Welcome to darkness."

Suddenly, all became very dark. Not even the light of the stars and streetlights could be seen.

* * *

Standing next to the pile of yearbooks he had brought, Jay was wondering what Spinner was up to when he saw him reappear. "Yo, where'd you disappear?" he asked his confederate as he reappeared in the hallway. 

"Science lab. I got fluid of the lighter kind." Spinner held up a plastic bottle. Unscrewing the top, he started pouring its contents onto the yearbooks. Looking at the soaked books, he pulled out a lighter.

Jay stared at the other boy. "Seriously, it's bonfire night?" All right, he found a little toilet paper being thrown around and some chairs stacked in the hallway were good enough, but burning school property seemed to be...overkill. "Look, I know math wasn't your strongest subject, but yearbooks plus fire equals the whole school up in flames. Oh yeah, and us in jail. Put the toy away, fliphead."

"You're stopping me?" Spinner said, his eyes wide with surprise.

Jay reached out and smacked the lighter out of Spinner's hands. It clattered to the floor away from the pile of doused yearbooks. "Shocking, but true," he said, keeping his gaze on Spinner as he picked up the lighter.

"You're a freak in the same way that I am!" Spinner yelled, glaring at him. In his pocket, the Shadowmyst once again emitted a red glow from its eyes.

Jay pocketed the lighter. "Yeah, well...at least I'm not torching the school." He patted the pocket where he put the lighter. "Now, let's use that thingamajig to get out of here and..."

Spinner looked at the Shadowmyst. "Thanks for reminding me."

"What?" Jay walked towards him. "Spinner..."

Spinner grinned and pulled out the Shadowmyst. "Look what else this thing can do." His grin widened as a blue fireball appeared over the Shadowmyst. "Hey, look at this!"

Jay stared at the fireball as it grew to the size of a baseball. "Oh..."

Spinner chuckled as he aimed the Shadowmyst at the pile of yearbooks. "Not a bad idea, burning the school down." He kept his gaze on the pile, and the fireball grew to the size of a basketball.

* * *

Within the darkness, Kendra stood her ground as she held on to Henrietta. "What's going on here?" she demanded loudly. 

"I'm just showing you how futile it is to fight the darkness," the mysterious person said somewhere in front of her.

"What?" Kendra said, trying to see the speaker while she heard footsteps and the tapping of the cane.

"It's all around you," the mysterious person said from behind the two girls. TAP TAP TAP. "Darkness exists in all hearts. That is undeniable." TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP. "All hearts are ruled by darkness."

"No," Henrietta said softly. Kendra felt her getting steadier. "That can't be true." She waved Kendra's hand off her arm. "That can't be true!" She stood on her own two feet. "There is still light in the human heart, and it can outshine the darkness! Darkness can be overcome!"

A cruel chuckle echoed around them. TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP. "You know nothing. Your pathetic light is no match for the darkness. You humans are living proof of this."

"Oh yeah?" Kendra looked around with her hands balled into fists.

TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP. "Throughout history, humanity has given in to the darkness on many occasions. You have fought and killed each other over many trivial things." TAP TAP TAP. "Your cruelty to each other is...delicious. How large the number of ways you've come up with to inflict pain on each other!" A cruel laugh. TAP TAP TAP TAP. "So tell me," the mysterious figure said in front of Henrietta, "if humans do have the ability to overcome the darkness, why is it there is still so much hatred and violence in the world?"

Kendra took a swing at where the voice was coming from, but her fist swung through thick air. "Show yourself!" she yelled.

The cruel chuckle. TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP. Kendra looked in front of her and made out the mysterious person's outline. "It is useless to resist the darkness. Your brother is learning that right now."

"My brother?" Kendra glared in the direction of the voice. "Where is he?"

"You know where he is," the other answered.

"He's at Degrassi, isn't he?" Kendra said.

"I told you you knew."

"Do you have him?" Kendra asked.

The cruel chuckle again. "Not yet, but he will belong to me soon."

"What?" Kendra's fists tightened. "What do you mean by that?"

"All hearts are ruled by darkness." The mysterious person stood still before them. "Your brother will belong to me."

"No!" Kendra yelled.

The cruel chuckle yet again. "Feel free to try to stop me, but it is useless."

"Give me back my brother!" Kendra yelled, ready to pounce.

"You should worry about yourself," the mysterious person said.

The darkness around them swirled rapidly. Kendra shielded her face with her arms while Henrietta did the same to protect themselves from the resulting wind. When they lowered their arms, they saw everything back to normal and the man gone.

"Okay, this is getting seriously weird," Kendra said. "You all right?" she asked Henrietta.

The other girl nodded, then gasped and pointed behind them. "Kendra!"

Kendra looked to where Henrietta was pointing. Dark puddles were emerging from the ground, and some of them were sliding towards them. As the puddles got closer, they could see the pair of red eyes each one had.

"Kendra..." Henrietta said softly, her lip trembling as she moved closer to her as something rose from one of the puddles.

At first, it looked like an incomplete, not fully formed pile of black clay being turned into a statue with its limbs still being formed. Then, its shape solidified, and a pair of pointed rabbit-like ears shot out of its head, which had a pair of red eyes. It hunched over as its long clawed hands formed. A mouth with sharp teeth formed below its eyes, and it let out a little evil chuckle as it looked at the two girls. Behind it, its fellow creatures were forming from their puddles, and soon a large horde stood before the two girls. They laughed at them and began to march forward in unison.

"The creature from before..." Henrietta began.

"Times maybe a hundred," Kendra said as the horde got closer.

"Get them," one of the creatures in front said with a hiss and a grin. Soon, the others were whispering "Get them" repeatedly amongst themselves as they advanced while flexing their sharp claws.

"Run!" Kendra grabbed Henrietta by the hand and ran towards where she knew Degrassi Community School was. Behind them, the shadow creatures scampered after them.


	6. Chapter 6

Hikari/Yami 

Chapter 6: Spinner's Choice

by HA

"Okay," Jay said, waving for calm as he stared at the large fireball hovering over Spinner's hand. "Spin, just...put that thing out."

Spinner continued to grin as he aimed the fireball at the pile of yearbooks. "Burn, baby, burn."

Seeing he wasn't getting through to the other boy, Jay started to creep around the pile of yearbooks towards Spinner, who didn't seem to notice him. In fact, he seemed to be mesmerized by the large, flickering blue flame before him.

"Oooooooo," Spinner remarked as he took in the fire. "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh..." He grinned at the pile of yearbooks waiting to be burned. "This is gonna burn real n..."

Without a second thought, Jay tackled Spinner from his right side. They slammed into a nearby locker, and the Shadowmyst flew out of Spinner's hand and clattered to the floor. Thankfully for the school, the fire went out.

"Let go!" Spinner shouted as he struggled to break away from Jay.

"Not until you get your brain back!" Jay yelled back, pushing Spinner harder against the locker.

"Get off of me!" Spinner shoved back hard, and Jay fell to the floor. As Jay tried to stand, Spinner went for the Shadowmyst. Just as Jay was back on his feet, Spinner grabbed the Shadowmyst and pointed it at him. Spinner's eyes and grin widened as the blue flame formed before him once again.

"Spinner, listen to me," Jay said, trying to stay calm as the blue fire grew to the size of a basketball. "You don't want to do this."

"You sure about that?" Spinner watched as the fire grew to the size of a giant beach ball. "Pretty, isn't it?"

Jay started racking his brain as the fire floated before him. He willed himself to think faster as Spinner increased its size.

* * *

_Run run run run run..._

Her heart thumping against her chest, Kendra willed herself to go faster as she heard the sound of many footsteps behind her. She kept her grip on Henrietta's hand, although the other girl was keeping pace on her own two feet instead of letting herself get dragged along.

"Kendra..." Henrietta stared at the horde of creatures chasing them.

"We're almost there," Kendra said, keeping her focus on what was in front of her. Then, she felt Henrietta fall out of her grasp.

"Kendra!"

Kendra turned around sharply and saw that one of the creatures had latched itself onto Henrietta's back. The creature giggled in triumph and raised its clawed hands while its legs wrapped themselves around the poor girl, who was trying to grab it. Behind them, the rest of the horde was getting closer. Sprinting forward, Kendra grabbed the reature and pulled as hard as she could. The creature shrieked and swung one claw at her, but the swipe missed her face. Ignoring the cold feeling she had in her hands, she tugged one last time and yanked the creature off Henrietta and flung it towards its brethren. Kendra watched as her first try at shadow creature bowling resulted in a strike as creature after creature fell like dominoes.

"You all right?" she asked Henrietta.

"Yes, but if want to stay that way, we should keep going." Henrietta pointed to the creatures, who were rising to their feet and shaking off their brief discomfort.

"Good idea," Kendra said, and the two resumed running.

"Not to sound like a negative nanny," Henrietta said as they ran, "but even if we outrun those monsters and get to the school and find your brother there, what do you plan to do with him?"

"If he's okay, I plan to beat the hell out of him," Kendra answered with a grin.

"And if he's not okay?"

Kendra didn't say anything until they reached Degrassi. Luckily for them, the creatures had disappeared. "Guess they didn't want to follow us anymore," she remarked as she looked around for them.

"I guess," Henrietta said as she caught her breath. "Looks like no one's here," she said as she looked up the stairs and through the glass doors. "Lights are still off."

"He's inside," Kendra said before walking up the stairs.

"What makes you so sure?" Henrietta asked as she followed her.

"A feeling," Kendra said as they stood before the glass doors.

"You seem close to your brother," Henrietta said.

"Yeah," Kendra said as she stared at her reflection in the glass. "He's always been looking out for me ever since I was little." She gripped the door handle. "Even when I didn't want him to." She found the door to be locked, which wasn't a big surprise. "I remember when some boys were hassling me after school. One of them was about to punch me when Spinner just grabbed his arm from behind, spun him around, and told him if he ever tried to hit me, he'd beat the hell out of him."

"What happened after that?" Henrietta asked.

"They ran," Kendra recalled, "and I told Spinner off for butting in. Then he took me aside and said, 'Look, you're my sister, and no matter what, I'm gonna look out for you.'" She glared at the door. "We have to get inside."

Henrietta looked over the entrance. "Perhaps the back?"

* * *

"Don't you like it, Jay?" Spinner said, still staring at the fireball. "It's so pretty."

"Yeah, it is," Jay said, praying the fire wouldn't end up on the yearbooks. "Now that we agree on that, can you make it go away now?"

Spinner rubbed the Shadowmyst with his thumb, which made the fireball flicker rapidly. "Make it go away, huh?" He grinned and chuckled. "Oh, how I wish I could do that." The chuckle grew to a laugh that echoed across the hallway. "I wish I didn't listen to you that day. You know," he said, laughing again, "make Rick think Jimmy was behind the prank. I think we shouldn't have done it in the first place. Hell, maybe we should've left the freak alone. Maybe if we did..." He suppressed the tears threatening to flow from his eyes. "Maybe if we did leave Rick alone, Jimmy wouldn't be in a wheelchair, and everyone would like me again."

Jay stared at him. "Spin..."

"But we can't change that, can we?" Spinner continued. "Rick's dead, Jimmy's probably gonna be crippled for the rest of his life, and everyone hates me, including my own sister." He chuckled. "You know that people hate her because of what we did? Did you know that, Jay?"

"Spin, just put out the fire, and let's get out of here."

Spinner grinned as he heard Jay's words. "Heh, more suggestions from you. Look what happened last time I listened to you." He giggled as he looked at the blue fire. "Ya know, I was wrong. I can make it go away." He aimed the Shadowmyst at the yearbooks. "One shot, Jay, one shot, and..." He felt two arms wrap around his abdomen from behind.

"Really shouldn't have gotten distracted by the pretty flames there, Spin," Jay remarked as he spun his captive around. He threw him to the floor, and once again, the fire was extinguished, and the Shadowmyst landed on the floor. "All right, let's...hey!"

Spinner had reached for the Shadowmyst, but Jay tackled him from behind and pinned him face-down to the floor. "Let go!" he yelled as he tried to stretch his arm towards the statue.

"Not until you come to your senses!" Jay yelled back as he tightened his grip and pulled him away from the Shadowmyst.

"I just want it to stop!" Spinner yelled as his hand missed grabbing the object he desired.

"What, you mean your suffering?" Jay asked as he turned Spinner onto his back and held him down by his shoulders.

"It's my fault," Spinner sobbed, for the tears had broken through. "My best friend's in a wheelchair, my friends hate me, my sister hates me..."

"So that's it, huh?" Jay glared at Spinner. "So you want to end your suffering by making them suffer?" He shook him hard and almost caused his head to hit the floor. "You want your friends to suffer, huh? Do you?"

Spinner sobbed louder. "I want 'em back. My friends, my sister...I want 'em back."

Jay took a deep breath before assuming the role of the voice of reason, which he rarely was. "Listen, as your friend substitute, I'm telling you. This isn't the way. It's not." He looked into Spinner's tear-filled eyes. "You want everyone to think you're an arsonist? You want to be remembered by your sister as the guy who went nuts and torched Degrassi?"

"I just want 'em back," Spinner said.

Jay sighed and helped Spinner to his feet. He surveyed the mess they had made in the hallway and recalled how much toilet paper was flung around in the gym. "Come on, man," he said with a slap on Spinner's back. "We got to clean this up."

"Yeah." Spinner spotted the Shadowmyst and walked toward it, but Jay stepped in front of him.

"You are not using this thing," Jay said as he snatched it up.

"You got a better idea?" Spinner said. "It's the fastest way to fix everything, not to mention it's quicker to use it to get out of here."

Jay frowned at Spinner and the troublesome object in his hand. "Uh uh, man. Not going to risk you trying to torch the school again." He looked over it. "You rub it like a lamp in those fairy tales and make a wish, right?"

"Yeah, I think," Spinner answered.

"Thanks." Jay rubbed the Shadowmyst and focused on undoing the mess they made. Nothing happened.

"Um, maybe you should try harder," Spinner suggested.

Jay rubbed the Shadowmyst and really focused on undoing the mess they made. Nothing happened.

"Guess it only works for me," Spinner concluded, holding out his hand. "Better hand it over."

Jay looked at Spinner's hand. "You promise to not get all crazy?"

"I promise," Spinner said firmly.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Jay let out a groan and slapped the Shadowmyst into Spinner's hand. "Thank you can undo everything and get us out of here?"

Spinner smiled. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

"Okay, now what?" Kendra asked as she stared at the back entrance to the school.

Henrietta was about to say something when a flash of dark energy materialized before them. Seconds later, Spinner and Jay stood before them.

"Whoo-hoo!" Spinner exclaimed as he raised his hands in triumph. "What a rush! Ow!"

Jay had slapped him on the back of his head. "A little louder, Spin. I think the people in Vancouver couldn't hear you."

"Hey, you can't deny that felt cool," Spinner said.

"I just want to be out of here," Jay said, and then he saw the two girls staring at them. "Oh great."

Spinner blinked at them. "Kendra? What are you doing here?"

Kendra placed her hands on her hips and glared at her older brother. "Looking for you, you big dummy. What the hell were you doing in there?"

Spinner stared at his sister and walked up to her. Before she could say anything, he gathered her in his arms and lifted her off the ground in a tight hug. As she lowered her to the ground, he smiled at her.

Kendra smiled back. "I'm still mad at you."

CLAP CLAP CLAP. "Awwwwww, what a touching family reunion."

"Huh?" Jay looked around. "Who...?"

The stranger in white stepped out of the darkness. Behind him lumbered a mountain of a person clad in a trenchcoat and hat. Suddenly, Kendra shivered, and Henrietta grabbed to the nearest thing to stop herself from falling, which happened to be Spinner.

"What do you want?" Spinner demanded, and he held up the Shadowmyst. "If it's this, then you can keep it!" He threw it at the stranger, who effortlessly caught it with his gloved hand.

The stranger looked at the Shadowmyst and flashed a smile at Spinner. "Oh, this?" He and his companion approached the four teens. Everyone heard the sound of squishing as they got closer. The stranger stood in front of them. "I'm afraid you don't understand, Gavin."

Spinner stared at the stranger. "How did you know my name?"

"Spinner, what's going on?" Kendra asked.

"Oh, does it matter, Gavin?" the stranger continued. "It won't be your name for long."

Jay stepped forward and stood toe-to-toe with the stranger. "All right, you whitewashed weirdo, your little toy almost made my friend here go nuts." He poked him in the chest and glared into his eyes. "Now just get out of my face and our lives, bring that thing with you, and we'll just be on our way." He poked the same spot harder. "Got it?"

The stranger looked at where Jay had poked him and brushed it off with his gloved hand. "I don't like you," he said with a grin and narrowed eyes.

"Blarg!"

A slimy fist shot out from behind the stranger and socked Jay in the face. The impact threw him into the wall behind him.

"Jay!" Spinner ran to his fallen friend and looked him over. Henrietta and Kendra joined him and knelt next to the fallen teen.

"What the...?" Kendra fingered a slimy substance on Jay's face and rubbed it between her finger and thumb. She stared at the giant in the trenchcoat.

"He's still alive," Henrietta said after withdrawing her fingertips from Jay's neck.

Spinner faced the two strangers. "Who are you guys?" he asked.

The stranger in white smiled and chuckled as he walked up to Spinner, leaving his companion behind. "Why, we'll be your new co-workers, Gavin," he said as he leaned in for a closer look.

Spinner gasped. Henrietta trembled. Kendra stared incredulously at the stranger's face. Instead of a human face, what they saw reminded them of a mask the killer tended to wear in horror movies. He looked at them through two narrow slitted eyes, and a hollow, wide curved smile crossed his smooth ivory-white face. No nose was present, although he had hair that barely touched his shoulders.

"Ah." The stranger's mouth didn't move. "From the way you guys look, you're seeing the real me."

Spinner gulped. "Real...you?" Besides him, Kendra could hear her heart hammering against her chest. Henrietta was gripping her arm tightly.

The stranger chuckled. "The school may be still standing, but you still used the Shadowmyst. Tell me, Gavin," he said, leaning closer to Spinner, "how did it feel using the power of darkness?" The mask-like face closed in to Spinner's own. "Did you enjoy it?"

Spinner stammered. "Um...um...um..."

"Don't deny it, Gavin." The stranger's face moved back. "You enjoyed causing all that chaos in there, and for that moment, you really wanted to burn the school down."

Kendra looked uneasily at her brother. "Spinner, what is he talking about?"

Spinner stared blankly at the stranger. "H-H-How did you...?"

The stranger would've been sneering if he was able to. "Oh yes, Gavin, we know what you did. We also know what you did to poor Rick Murray." He paced around Spinner. "Oh yes, we do! Drove him to bringing a gun to school after you gave him a nice coat of paint and feathers. Bravo! Whoop-dee-do!" He waved his hands in front of Spinner, who bowed his head. "But that wasn't enough, was it? Oh no, Gavin, you tricked him into thinking your best friend was behind the prank, didn't you? In fact, poor Jimmy was Rick's first victim." He gestured a gun with his hand, pointed it at Spinner, and pulled the trigger. "Bang! Right in the back, and Jimmy, future NBA star, is stuck in a wheelchair. Might never walk again." He slapped Spinner on the back. "Good job!" he said with a laugh.

From his place, the other stranger gurgled loudly as if laughing. He was bent over and holding his abdomen with a slimy hand.

His eyes closed, Spinner recalled how he had told Jimmy about what him did. He recalled his friends shunning him. He recalled begging Jimmy for his forgiveness and the cold response he got.

"Too bad Rick died," the stranger in white remarked. "Would've been nice to have another assassin, but I don't think he was too special." He looked at the unconscious Jay. "He's not special, either. Petty thugs like him...a dime a dozen, but you!" He gripped Spinner's shoulder with his free hand. "You, Gavin, are unique. Not only did you set off a potential killer, you betrayed your best friend in the process." He looked at Degrassi. "Would've been nice if you torched the place, but hey, we were going to take you no matter what."

Spinner raised his head and looked into those vacant slits the stranger had for eyes. "What? What do you mean by take me?"

The stranger wagged his finger in front of Spinner's face and replaced his free hand on his shoulder. "Not a bright one, are you? Listen, Gavin, we're giving you a chance to use your talents on a grander scale. You know, help us spread darkness throughout the world. In short, we're asking you...to become one of us."

Spinner shoved the stranger's hand off his shoulder. "No way! I'm not some psycho like you!" He glared at the Shadowmyst in the stranger's other hand. "That thing! That thing made me want to burn down the school!"

The stranger crossed his arms. "My, what denial." He chuckled. "The Shadowmyst didn't make you do anything, Gavin. All it did was tap into the darkness in your heart and manifested it according to your wants." He stepped closer to Spinner. "Poor Gavin. All your friends hate you, and I'm sure your family wants to disown you. You've got nothing here."

"That's not true!" Kendra marched up to the stranger in white.

"Kendra, wait!" Henrietta called from near Jay.

"Oooooo, looks like your sister wants to stand up for you, Gavin," the stranger remarked.

"Kendra, stay back," Spinner said.

Kendra glared at the stranger. "You know nothing about my brother, you freak, so get your ugly face out of here and bring that giant freakshow with you," she said through clenched teeth.

Spinner stared at his sister. "Kendra..."

The stranger looked at Spinner. "So you're refusing our generous job offer?"

Spinner glared at him. "There's no chance in hell I'm working for whoever you guys are."

The stranger's eyes stared at him. "Is that your final answer?"

"You bet it is," Kendra declared.

The stranger stepped back and shrugged. "Okay."

Then, it happened. "Kendra, watch...!" Henrietta yelled.

Suddenly, Kendra was lifted off the ground by a pair of slimy hands. One of them went over her mouth while the free arm wrapped around her, squeezing her tightly against her giant captor. "Mmmmmmmpph!" she cried out, her mouth muffled by slime.

"Kendra!" Spinner looked helplessly as his sister struggled in vain to escape the giant's tight grip.

"Time to play hardball, Gavin." The stranger in white snapped his fingers. "Oh, Darklings!"

Several dark puddles materialized around Henrietta and Jay. The shadow creatures emerged from them and surrounded the two teens. Their teeth and claws were eager to dig into flesh.

"I'll make it simple, Gavin," the stranger in white said. "Join us, and we'll let your sister and the other two live. Otherwise..."

Kendra managed to free her face from the slimy hand covering it. She spat out yellow-green slime before saying anything. "Spinner, don't...!" Then the hand closed in on her face, silencing her.

Nearby, the shadow creatures cackled wickedly. Henrietta leaned as close to Jay and the wall behind her as possible. The giant pressed his hand closer to Kendra's face, and the slime started seeping into her nose and mouth. Her kicking started to slow down. Her arms started to go limp. Her eyelids were getting heavy.

"Gee, I don't think she can last very long," the stranger in white remarked as Kendra grew weaker. "Mr. Grime here really knows how to suffocate people, and I give her maybe a minute or two before she's dead."

"Let her go!" Spinner shouted. He prepared to charge at the giant.

"I wouldn't do anything stupid," the stranger in white warned, "and boy, are you selfish or what? Don't you care about the two other people who'll be Darkling chow if you don't come with us?"

Spinner looked at Henrietta and Jay, who were surrounded by Darklings eager to dine on their flesh and bones. He looked at Kendra, who was fading quickly in the giant's arms.

"Your choice, Gavin. Join us, give in to the darkness in your heart, and help us out, or..." The stranger gestured towards Kendra, Henrietta, and Jay. "...your sister and these other two die."

Spinner stood his ground, but he saw Kendra starting to go limp in the giant's arms. Cackling loudly, the Darklings crept closer to their prey.

The stranger held out the Shadowmyst to Spinner. "Well, what's your choice, Gavin?"

Spinner looked at Kendra, Henrietta, and Jay one last time. Without saying a word, he took a step forward.

"No!" Henrietta yelled as Spinner took another step forward. The Darklings hissed at her.

Mr. Grime lifted his hand off Kendra's face, and air resumed flowing through the proper channels after she coughed out some slime. Kendra's grateful lungs began taking in air, and her eyes slowly opened.

Spinner stood in front of the stranger in white, who was dangling the Shadowmyst in front of him. He looked at the little black statue and reached for it.

Kendra became fully aware, and the words of the first stranger echoed in her head. _All hearts are ruled by darkness. Your brother will belong to me._ "Spinner, no!" she cried out.

Spinner's hand froze in front of the Shadowmyst. He looked at his sister still being held by the giant called Mr. Grime. He watched as the Darklings stood their ground around Henrietta and Jay as if waiting for the order to strike.

"Come on, Gavin," the stranger in white said, dangling the Shadowmyst before him. "Time to join the Dark Side. You know you want to."

Spinner faced the stranger. "Kendra, take care of yourself, and again, I'm sorry." He reached for the Shadowmyst.

"Spinner!" Kendra cried out as her brother's fingertips were within brushing range of the dark object.


	7. Chapter 7

Hikari/Yami 

Chapter 7: Awakening

by HA

Spinner's fingers came closer to the Shadowmyst. Kendra yelled to him again, but it sounded like she was far away. The stranger in white waited. Mr. Grime gurgled trumphantly as Kendra watched helplessly in his grip. The Darklings waited for the order to pounce.

Just as Spinner was about to grab the Shadowmyst, something hit it out of the stranger's hand. To be more accurate, something shot it out of the stranger's hand since both he and Spinner saw a burst of light zip by and hit the black statue. It landed on the ground a few feet from the two.

Spinner stared at where the Shadowmyst landed. The stranger in white snarled in frustration. "Oh great," he said.

"Whoa," Kendra said.

"Brack!" Mr. Grime shouted, pointing with his free hand at where the shot came from.

More shots struck some of the Darklings, and they vanished in a dark flash. The remaining Darklings turned from their prey and looked in the same direction. Standing there was a short-haired girl dressed in dark blue from her jacket to her slacks. Kendra noticed two things odd about her. One was she was wearing sunglasses at night. The other was the giant sword of light she was pointing at the stranger in white.

Spinner stared at the newcomer. "Okay, who are you?"

"A nuisance," the stranger in white commented dryly.

"Hope," Henrietta whispered.

The girl noticed Kendra in Mr. Grime's grip. "Get ready," she said to her, lowering her weapon.

"Huh?" Kendra said, and the girl vanished.

"Gurk?" Mr. Grime gurgled, looking around. Seconds later, he yelled out "Braaaaaakkkkkkkk!" as he felt something slash him from behind.

As the giant staggered, Kendra felt someone pull her from his grip. Seconds later, both Kendra and the girl were standing next to the fallen giant.

"You all right?" the girl asked as she readied her weapon for an attack.

"Yeah, you can say that," Kendra remarked. She noticed that the Darklings were creeping away from Henrietta and Jay and towards them.

"If you want to stay safe, I suggest you two go to your friends and get out of here," the girl said to Kendra and Spinner as the Darklings got closer.

Spinner ran to where Kendra was. "Come on," he said as he grabbed her hand.

"Hey!" she yelled as he dragged her to where Henrietta and Jay were.

Spinner looked over Jay. "He's still out?"

"Unfortunately," Henrietta said.

The girl glared at the stranger in white. "Still trying to corrupt people, Mr. Trick?"

The Darklings gathered in front of the girl. All of them hissed at her. Behind them, the stranger in white glared at her. "Of course," he replied. "Still trying to stop us?" he said, sneering internally.

"Of course," the girl said, keeping her weapon in front of her.

The Darklings got closer. "Well, kid, you've got guts, but it ends tonight," Mr. Trick said.

"Says you," the girl said.

"Is she kidding?" Spinner said as he and the others watched. "They've got her outnumbered."

"Numbers mean nothing," Henrietta said calmly.

Spinner stared at her. "What makes you think she can beat all those...things?"

"Because she uses the light," Henrietta answered matter-of-factly.

Spinner turned to Kendra. "Is she always like this?" he whispered.

"You get used to it," Kendra said.

"Darklings, attack!" Mr. Trick ordered, pointing at the girl.

Five Darklings leapt towards the girl with their claws outstretched. Seconds later, she swung her sword and slashed them in their midsections. Everyone watched as the five shadow creatures' halves floated in midair before vanishing in a flash of darkness. The rest of the Darklings started backing away just as the girl pointed her sword at them and unleashed a series of energy shots at them. Some hit their targets and caused them to vanish in a flash while others made the Darklings dance about to avoid being hit. Mr. Trick shook his fist as he danced around several shots and swerved to avoid others.

"Look out!" Kendra yelled.

The girl leapt away in time to avoid a slimy fist. She swung her sword at Mr. Grime's chest and slashed deep into the trenchcoat. The giant staggered back and fell to the ground. She swung again to dispatch a Darkling who tried to leap at her from behind and shot two other Darklings before they could charge her.

"Braaaack!"

Mr. Grime got to his feet and clutched the front of his slashed coat. Everyone watched as he tossed it and his hat aside. As the garment floated to the ground, Kendra saw why the giant was slimy. He was literally slime. To be more specific, he was a giant, muscular mound of walking slime wrapped in a body suit. Two dark eyes and a gaping mouth made up his face.

The girl killed ten more Darklings with a circular slash before facing the recovered Mr. Grime. The slimy giant snarled and brought his fist down hard onto the ground. Kendra felt the ground shake as a shockwave sped towards the girl, who leapt into the air at the last second and opened fire on Mr. Grime, who blocked her shots with his arms. Slime splattered from them as the girl landed and slashed at the advancing Darklings.

"What are you waiting for?" the girl asked Kendra. "Get out of here!"

Spinner knelt next to Jay and shook him by his shoulders. "Come on, man! Wake up!"

"I don't think that's helping," Henrietta commented as Jay responded with a soft moan, but didn't open his eyes.

Kendra pointed behind the girl, but it was too late. A swarm of Darklings leapt on her from there, and the would-be savior was covered in moving darkness.

"Hold her down!" Mr. Trick yelled to the squirming pile of darkness as it tried to contain its captive. He stepped forward with the Shadowmyst in hand and looked at Spinner. "Okay, Gavin, now where were we?"

Light shot out between the Darklings, and everyone watched as the pile exploded in a bright burst. The light subsided to reveal the girl on one knee while propping herself up with her sword. She took a few deep breaths before standing up and facing Mr. Trick. "Gee, was that your best?" she said.

"Nope," Mr. Trick answered as he snapped his fingers. More Darklings sprang out of the ground and marched towards the girl.

Kendra watched as the girl and Darklings did battle again. Then, she felt something moist grab her by the shoulder and left her off the ground. Behind her, she heard gurgling, and she turned her head to see Mr. Grime's face. His mouth looked like it was forming a smile.

"Let her go!" Spinner yelled as he walked up to Mr. Grime with his fists clenched.

"Gavin, Gavin, Gavin." Mr. Trick appeared in front of Spinner. "You have too many connections with your old life," he said, holding up the Shadowmyst. "Tell you what. We'll help you simplify things." He looked at Mr. Grime. "Break her neck. Do it slowly."

Mr. Grime nodded and seized Kendra's neck. He began to apply pressure slowly to it. Kendra felt the slimy fingers tighten, and her mouth released gasps.

"No!" Spinner screamed as the sound of a sword slashing through darkness filled the night air.

"Oh come on, Gavin!" Mr. Trick paced in front of Kendra and her captor. "It's not like she's your real sister!" He looked over Kendra. "I don't see a family resemblence. Do you see one, Mr. Grime?"

Mr. Grime shook his head as he kept his grip on Kendra. She didn't feel any more pressure. Meanwhile, the Darklings continued to fall before the girl and her sword.

Spinner glared at Mr. Trick and Mr. Grime and raised his fist. "Let her go, or I'll..."

"You'll what?" Mr. Trick laughed, and Mr. Grime joined in with a few loud gurgles. "Beat up Mr. Grime? Hear that, Mr. Grime? He wants to fight you!"

Mr. Grime gurgled louder. Kendra felt his grip on her neck weaken, and seconds later, she hit the ground hard. The slimy behemoth faced down Spinner and beckoned him over with a wave of his hand.

"He's all yours, tough guy." Mr. Trick stepped aside as Mr. Grime stepped out in front of Kendra, who was trying to catch her breath and get up.

All logical thought left Spinner's mind as he charged Mr. Grime. He swung wildly at the giant, but felt something slimy engulf his hand. He gasped as he was yanked skyward to face what passed for a grin on Mr. Grime's face. Seconds later, he felt something wet punch his stomach, and he yelled out in pain as he fell to the ground.

"Gee, that was quick," Mr. Trick said, standing behind Spinner as he clutched his stomach while trying to get up. "You see, Gavin, you need this," he said, and he dangled the Shadowmyst in front of his face. "Come on, you know you enjoyed having the power of darkness at your disposal. Didn't it feel great?"

"Leave him alone!" Kendra took a swing at Mr. Grime, but her fist got stuck in his back.

Mr. Trick watched as Kendra tried to free herself. "Hey, no interrupting me, kid!"

Mr. Grime gurgled angrily and swung one fist at her, striking her in the face. Kendra fell to the ground hard. Her head lying on its side, she didn't move.

"Kendra!" Spinner yelled.

"Kendra!" Henrietta yelled.

"Okay, not that she's out of the way..." Mr. Trick leapt back in time to avoid a weak swing from Spinner, who fell on his face from the effort. "Whoa, now I see the resemblence. You two are both idiots," he commented with a laugh.

Mr. Grime gurgled loudly as he stood over Kendra's unconscious form. The girl finished dispatching the Darklings and glared at him and Mr. Trick. "You never change," she said as she stepped forward with her weapon drawn.

"Better make your choice fast, Gavin." Mr. Trick looked at Kendra. "Your sister don't look too good," he added with a snap. More Darklings came out of the ground and threw themselves at the girl, who found herself in another fight. "Sweetheart, you're fighting a losing battle. Can't you just leave us alone so we can conclude our little deal?"

Bracing herself, Henrietta left Jay and ran to Kendra's side. Fortunately, the Darklings were busy occupying the girl, who was putting up quite a fight. "Kendra?" Henrietta said as she knelt next to her. "Kendra?"

"Braaaaacccckkk!" Mr. Grime reached for the frizzy-haired girl.

"Hold it!" Mr. Trick yelled.

Mr. Grime stopped and looked at Mr. Trick. "Blarg?"

"Like she can do anything to stop us right now," Mr. Trick said, and he turned to Spinner. "Well, what will it be, Gavin? Ready to give in to the darkness, or do I have to tell my friends to kill everyone here, including your poor baby sister? That is," he said with an inward smirk, "if Mr. Grime didn't kill her already."

Still on his knees, Spinner glared at Mr. Trick. "Shut...up..."

"Oh, aren't we touchy?" Mr. Trick said, dangling the Shadowmyst in front of Spinner's face. "You know everyone hates you, so why refuse our generous offer? Face it, kid, your friends hate you, your family hates you, and I'm sure total strangers would hate you if they knew what you did." The Shadowmyst stared at Spinner. "You know you want to hurt them back. Make them pay for rejecting you. For abandoning you." The Shadowmyst stayed in Spinner's face. "All you have to do is take it, Gavin. Take it, and I guarantee your pain will go away, not to mention you'll get to inflict some of your own." He waved the Shadowmyst. "If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for the nice people we're gonna kill if you don't take it."

Spinner looked at Henrietta kneeling next to Kendra and Jay laying unconscious against the wall. Behind him, the girl continued to fight off the Darklings. Mr. Grime appeared next to him. Spinner made his decision. His hand shaking, he reached out for the Shadowmyst.

"No!" she yelled as she dispatched two Darklings trying to leap on her from behind.

"Don't!" Henrietta yelled as Spinner's hand got closer to the Shadowmyst.

Mr. Trick chuckled. "That's it, Gavin. Time to join the darkness."

Then, the area exploded into light. The Darklings screeched as they covered their eyes. Spinner fell back, and Mr. Trick and Mr. Grime shielded their eyes from the intense light.

"Hey! What's going on?" Mr. Trick yelled.

Mr. Grime gurgled his lack of understanding loudly.

The girl focused on the source of the light and gasped.

His eyes narrowed, Spinner couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Blocking most of the light with her hand, Henrietta watched as it continued to shoot out from Kendra's body. Then, it began to fade, and she watched as a glowing orb came out of Kendra's chest. A groan escaped Kendra's lips. "Mmmmm..." Her eyes flickered.

"Kendra?" Henrietta whispered.

Slowly, Kendra moved as the light vanished, leaving only the small orb hovering over her. Feeling light-headed, she rubbed her head and rose carefully When she saw the orb floating before her, she exclaimed "What the...?" She saw Henrietta kneeling next to her. "What happened?"

"The light..." Henrietta pointed to the orb, her eyes wide with awe.

"I don't believe it," the girl whispered.

Spinner stood up and blinked. "Kendra, what's going on?" he asked as he stared at the orb of light.

"I...I...don't know," Kendra said as she looked at the light.

The Darklings snarled in Kendra's direction. Mr. Trick and Mr. Grime glared at the light.

Mr. Trick's hands curled into fists. "What are you waiting for?" he said to the Darklings. "Get the boy. Kill the others!"

The Darklings surged forward. Spinner watched as some of the shadow creatures ran en masse towards the light with hopes of snuffing it out. Then he felt the rest of their claws seizing him by his arms and legs. "Hey!" he yelled as he felt their cold touch yanking him away.

"Spinner!" Kendra yelled as the Darklings charged at her.

With a shout, the girl leapt in front of the Darklings and swung her sword. Some of them shrieked as they flew back into the air and disappeared in a dark flash. She looked at Kendra. "Since you're new at this, I'll go through the quick lesson," she told her. "Use that to stop them," she instructed, pointing to the orb first and then to the incoming Darklings.

"How?" Kendra said.

"Just focus!" the girl said while firing shots at the Darklings. "You'd better hurry, or they'll make him touch that statue," she added, looking towards a group of Darklings dragging Spinner to Mr. Trick, who was still holding the Shadowmyst.

"What will happen if he does?" Kendra asked.

The girl cut down another row of Darklings. "He'll become one of them," she stated grimly.

Kendra watched as the orb floated to her hand and stared at it as it shone brightly in her flat palm. "So how do I...?"

"Kendra!" Henrietta yelled as two Darklings seized her by her arms.

Kendra rushed to her. "Let go of her!" she yelled, and without a second thought, she balled the hand holding the orb into a fist and swung it at the Darklings. Her eyes widened as a blade of light cut through the creatures. "Huh?" she said, and she gasped at the long blade she held in her hand. Her curiosity was interupted by two more Darklings, and with another swing of her weapon, they vanished in a flash.

"I'll protect these two!" the girl said to Kendra. "You save your brother!"

Kendra nodded, and trusting her instincts, she ran past the Darklings and towards her brother and Misters Trick and Grime. Along the way, she hacked and slashed any Darkling that got in her way. Spinner was now being held down by Darklings, and Mr. Trick was hovering over him with the Shadowmyst.

"No!" Spinner yelled as the black statue was being lowered to his arm, which was being forced to stretch upward by a grinning Darkling. The poor teen tried to keep his fingers out of reach from the sinister object.

"Sorry, Gavin, but it's time to join the Dark Side," Mr. Trick said as the Shadowmyst got closer to Spinner's fingers.

"Let him go!" Kendra yelled.

The Darklings holding Spinner hissed at her. Mr. Trick looked up and saw her. Mr. Grime let out a surprised gurgle as he noticed the light sword in her hand.

"Ooooo, someone's got a new toy," Mr. Trick said.

Kendra held out her sword. "Let him go," she repeated, glaring at the two strange men.

"Ya know, Gavin, your sister's got guts," Mr. Trick said, staring down at Spinner. "Wanna see them?" he said as he snapped his fingers.

The Darklings released Spinner and rushed at Kendra with their teeth and claws bared. Kendra steeled herself and swung at the Darklings as they got closer. Her sword cut through them, and she moved smoothly as she dodged and counterattacked. At one point, she turned around in time to slash at a Darkling as it lunged at her from behind. It shrieked as it vanished. Soon, she had dispatched all of the Darklings, and she pointed her sword at Mr. Trick. "You're next," she said.

"I don't think so, kid," Mr. Trick said. "Grimy, crush her."

Mr. Grime charged at Kendra, who sidestepped him in time. Snarling, he punched at her, but his fist only hit the ground since she leapt out of the way. As she landed, she took a swing and nicked his arm. A little slime fell to the ground.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do?" Kendra taunted.

Mr. Grime roared, and he raised his arms. As he swung them down, they elongated towards Kendra and morphed into giant hammers. Kendra leapt out of the way before they crashed into the ground, but the force of the impact threw her to the ground.

"Guess not," she muttered as she picked herself up.

"Braaaaacccckkkkk!" Mr. Grime raised his hammer arms again and swung at Kendra with them. She dodged the first swing, but the second one knocked her to the ground. Before she could recover, one hand morphed into a pincher claw and grabbed her. Mr. Grime gurgled triumphantly as he squeezed her tightly. Her sword vanished into her orb. He turned to Mr. Trick and gurgled.

"Eh, squeeze her, cut her open...whatever works for you, big guy," Mr. Trick said with a shrug.

Mr. Grime gurgled happily and morphed his free arm into a giant buzzsaw. He lowered it towards Kendra and wondered where to cut first. Kendra feebily wriggled in his tight grip as the blade began to spin rapidly.

"No!" Spinner leapt to his feet.

"So you still wanna save her although she hates you?" Mr. Trick asked him. "How sweet." He held out the Shadowmyst. "This will give you the power to save her, kid. Take it, and you can save her." He chuckled as Mr. Grime tightened his grip, causing Kendra to cry out in pain. "Better hurry, or your poor little sister's guts and bits will be this place's new decorations."

"Spinner, don't..." Kendra's pleas became muffled by a thick layer of slime that enclosed her within seconds.

"Awwww, Mr. Grime wants to suffocate her before he cuts her up. Isn't he being nice and all. She won't feel a thing," Mr. Trick said, looking at Spinner's horrified face. "Better make your decision quick, Gavin," he said, holding out the Shadowmyst.

Spinner watched as his sister tried to break out of her slime cocoon. He could barely hear her muffled screams as the buzzsaw hummed louder. Then, he looked at the Shadowmyst sitting on Mr. Trick's open palm. Its eyes seemed to be pleading with him. Save your sister. Take me, they seemed to be saying. Take me.

He looked at Kendra in Mr. Grime's grip and at the Shadowmyst. He reached for it.

"Don't even think about it."

The girl appeared before Mr. Grime and swung her blade. Seconds later, the arm holding Kendra fell to the ground with a loud splat as it burst open. Mr. Grime roared in pain as he staggered back, and the girl found Kendra lying in slime.

"You all right?" she asked.

Kendra coughed out slime. "Considering what just happened to me, yeah."

"Talk later," the girl said.

Mr. Grime roared and swung his buzzsaw arm at them. Both girls rolled out of the way, and the girl took aim and fired. Her shot struck Mr. Grime in the chest, causing him to lose his balance. Focusing again, Kendra reactivated her sword and ran at the walking slime mountain.

"Take this!" she yelled as she slashed him in the chest.

Mr. Grime gurgled loudly and swung at Kendra with his buzzsaw arm, but she had gotten out of the way in time. The girl took aim with her blade and unleashed a powerful shot that hit its mark, sending Mr. Grime into a nearby wall. He slammed hard against it and slid off it unconscious.

"Good move," the girl said to Kendra.

"Same to you," Kendra said with a grin, and she looked at her brother. "Spinner, better get out of there."

Spinner ran to where Henrietta was standing next to the unconscious Jay, leaving Mr. Trick to face Kendra and the girl. The white-clad man still held the Shadowmyst. Behind him, Mr. Grime gurgled weakly.

"Okay, you freak," Kendra said, keeping her sword at the ready. "You can leave now, or we can do what we did to your slimy friend."

Mr. Trick snickered. "You know what they say, kids." He raised the Shadowmyst. "When the going gets tough, call in reinforcements."

The Shadowmyst began to emit a dark glow. "Okay, what's going on?" Kendra asked.

The girl frowned. "Trouble." She steeled herself, for she knew what was next.

"This isn't good," Henrietta said as the Shadowmyst's glow increased.

"I have to agree," Spinner said.

Then, a bright black beam shot out of Mr. Trick's hand accompanied by thick purple mist. Kendra could see the outline of something huge within it. It roared loudly as the mist disappated, and Kendra couldn't believe her eyes. Floating above them all was a giant version of the Shadowmyst. It resembed a sinister genie from an ancient story. She looked at Mr. Trick and saw that the little statue was gone.

"Oh my God," Spinner said, staring at the giant shadow creature.

"He may not be complete, but he's got enough power to take care of you two!" Mr. Trick declared. He pointed to the girls. "Get them!"

The Shadowmyst roared and swung its fist at Kendra and the girl. Both leapt out of the way in time, and the giant fist smashed into the ground before them.

"Okay, what is that?" Kendra said as she stared at the giant shadow creature.

The girl frowned. "That could've been your brother." She watched as the Shadowmyst's red eyes glowed brightly. "In fact, if we don't do anything, it could still be your brother."

"Huh?"

"Just stop it from getting him!" the girl shouted as she took aim with her weapon and fired. The shots of light exploded on the Shadowmyst's chest, causing the creature to roar, but if it had been injured, it didn't show any signs of it.

"I don't think that's hurting him," Spinner remarked, his knees shaking. He looked at Jay. "C'mon, man, wake up."

The Shadowmyst raised its open hand skyward, and blue fire sprang up around Spinner, Henrietta, and the unconscious Jay. Spinner barely had time to leap out of the way to avoid the flames. "Aaah!" he yelled as the blue fire licked dangerously near his arm.

The Shadowmyst roared and raised both its arms. Kendra and the girl saw both its hands become engulfed in blue flame. The giant monster swung its fist down at them, and both girls barely dodged the impact. As its fist hit the ground, blue fire sprang out of the spot.

"Aaaaa!" Kendra yelled as she jumped away from the fire.

The girl jumped over the blue fire and fired again. Her shots hit the monster's arm with no signs of damage. Wincing slightly, the Shadowmyst let out a cruel laugh and looked towards the blue fire enclosure where the other teens were trapped. It floated towards there and reached for Spinner.

"No!" Kendra ran forward while avoiding the blue fire and swung her weapon at the dark hand, slashing its wrist.

The Shadowmyst withdrew its hand, made it into a fist, and raised it over Kendra. "Take this!" the girl yelled as she aimed her massive blade at the creature. The weapon's tip glowed brightly, and seconds later, unleashed a powerful blast aimed at the Shadowmyst's face. The attack struck its target, and the monster staggered back with a loud roar.

"Good shot," Kendra remarked.

"It's not over yet," the girl warned her sternly. "Look."

The Shadowmyst glared at the two girls with its red eyes and roared. It clapped its hands together and slowly pulled them apart. Kendra and the girl saw the blue flame that was slowly growing between its hands. Once the blue flame had expanded into a giant fireball, the Shadowmyst threw it at them.

Kendra didn't need an order to run. She and the girl split up, and the massive fireball missed its targets. However, the explosion threw them to the ground, and they used their arms to protect themselves from the falling flames.

"Kendra, look out!"

Spinner's warning came too late as the Shadowmyst swatted Kendra aside with its massive palm. She rolled towards a flickering blue flame, and fortunately for her, she arrived at the spot just as the fire vanished. Despite the pain she felt, she held her weapon tightly as she tried to stand up.

"Yeah, you are tough, kid!" Mr. Trick yelled. "Looks like we'll have to soften you up more!"

The Shadowmyst reached for Kendra, but it withdrew its hand as a shot of light struck it. "No you don't!" the girl yelled, her large light blade ready to strike.

The Shadowmyst raised its hand, and blue flames fell from the sky. "Burn baby burn!" Mr. Trick yelled.

"Any ideas?" Kendra yelled as she alternated between swatting and dodging flame after flame.

"I'd go for the face again," the girl answered as she extinguished some of the falling fire with one swing of her blade. "It roared when it got hit there."

Kendra glared at the Shadowmyst as it resumed floating towards the fiery enclosure holding her brother, her friend, and Jay. "Gonna be hard for me to do that."

"It's hard for me to get a good shot with all this fire," the girl stated. "Hey, come back here!"

Kendra had ran towards where the others are. The Shadowmyst floated in front of the fiery prison with its eyes fixed on Spinner. It stretched its giant hand towards him.

"Keep your hands off my brother!" Kendra yelled as she charged at the Shadowmyst.

The Shadowmyst spotted her and roared. A pillar of blue fire exploded beneath her, and everyone watched helplessly as the flames engulfed her.

"No!" he yelled. "Kendra!"

Mr. Trick's cruel laughter echoed throughout the night. "Awwww, one girl getting barbecued, and one more to go."

The Shadowmyst turned its attention to the mysterious girl, who raised her weapon and opened fire. The giant shadow creature waved its hand, and fire pillars shot up to intercept the shots. The girl leapt back in time to avoid fire shooting out of the ground, but some of the fire got her in the sword arm. Wincing, she clutched her hurt arm, and she could barely keep a grip on her sword.

"Hey, hold still so you can join your friend!" Mr. Trick yelled, pointing at the pillar of fire Kendra was in. The blue flames faded away slowly. "Ah...huh?" he exclaimed, and if his eyes were able to widen in surprise, they would have.

"What...?" Spinner stared at the sight before him.

"I don't believe it," the girl said.

Kendra was all right. She was also glowing. To be more precise, the light barrier around her glowed. Everyone else stared at her in amazement. They weren't the only ones.

"Whoa," Kendra said, looking around at what had protected her from the flames.

The Shadowmyst brought its fist down onto the barrier. Although it shook under its power, it didn't break. Roaring in frustration, the Shadowmyst punched the light barrier again and got the same result.

_Okay, not going to do much if I stay here_, Kendra thought as she watched the Shadowmyst alternate between punching the barrier and shooting fire at it. _I need to hit its face, but my sword's gone, and..._ Then, she spotted the orb hovering over her. It glowed brightly as it maintained the light barrier against the Shadowmyst's attacks. _Wait, maybe..._

"Forget about her for now!" Mr. Trick yelled. "Get Gavin first, and you'll be complete!"

The Shadowmyst looked at Spinner in the enclosure of flames and reached for him. Henrietta shoved him back. "Leave him alone!" she yelled.

The Shadowmyst roared and flicked Henrietta into the wall. Spinner leapt back to avoid the monster's grasping hand, but he found himself leaning against the wall with Jay and Henrietta. He leaned closer to the wall as the dark fingers edged closer.

Then, something shot out from nowhere and slashed the Shadowmyst's face. It roared and withdrew as its wound sizzled. It glared at who had attacked it as the weapon flew back into its owner's hand.

Kendra glared back. "Listen up, you big bad monster," she said, holding her weapon tightly. "There's no way in hell you're getting my brother."

The girl stared at the object in Kendra's hand. Instead of a sword, she held a giant, sharp-edged boomerang. The orb glowed in the weapon's center. "How could she...?" she whispered.

The Shadowmyst roared and threw a flaming fist at Kendra, who moved in time to avoid it. She threw the boomerang again, and it cut through the monster's hand. As it pulled back its arm, its severed hand landed on the ground and vanished in a puff of dark smoke with a PFFFFT.

The Shadowmyst prepared to counterattack, but then the boomerang slashed its face again. It staggered back, and blue fire fell from the sky. The boomerang moved in the air and destroyed the flames before they could hit the ground.

"How are you doing that?" the girl asked as she watched Kendra move her arm. As she did, the boomerang struck the Shadowmyst in the face again.

"I'm really not sure," Kendra answered as she continued slashing the Shadowmyst in the face. She was telling the truth. She really didn't know how she was controlling her weapon. She didn't know why it kept changing shape. However, now wasn't the time to think about it. Doing was preferable to thinking right now.

After a few facial slashes, the Shadowmyst appeared dazed as it hovered above the ground. Kendra caught the boomerang as if she had done it before. The monster roared weakly.

"It's badly hurt," the girl said, appearing at Kendra's side. "Better finish it off."

"How?" Kendra asked.

"All up to you." The girl glared at the Shadowmyst. "Better hurry."

"Why can't you do it?" Kendra asked.

The girl winced as she kept her grip on her sword. "Damn thing got my good arm. Looks like I have to sit this one out." The giant sword vanished.

"Someone do something!" Spinner yelled.

Kendra faced the Shadowmyst and saw it was recovering. It began to raise its arms. Without thinking, she threw the light boomerang again towards the monster. Before the Shadowmyst could bring down blue fire on all, the boomerang struck its face as it curved downward, leaving a long gash down the middle. As Kendra caught the weapon, the giant shadow creature let out one final roar before it exploded into a dark cloud of smoke. After the smoke disappeared, something fell to the ground, and Kendra ran to see what it was.

Lying on the ground before her was the Shadowmyst statue. Its lifeless eyes stared upward. The impact had cracked it in two, and both halves sported cracks that resembled branches of lightning bolts. Kendra gasped as the statue's remains crumbled into black powder and blew away in the wind.


End file.
